Pakistan's ISI Lodges Complaint Against Fake Facebook Accounts

Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and the military have formally complained to the authorities concerned against fake accounts of their chiefs on Facebook, a media report said.

There are a number of accounts on the website, supposedly belonging to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif and Director General ISI Lt. General Rizwan Akhtar and other senior officers, Dawn online reported Tuesday.

A military spokesperson said that with the exception of one account belonging to Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Bajwa, the rest are all fake.

PTA spokesman Khurram Mehran said that the ISI has launched a formal complaint regarding these accounts.

"Whenever PTA receives any such complaint, it is taken up with the relevant organisation for appropriate action, as per procedure," he said.

Another PTA official said that there is an understanding between Facebook management and the information ministry, under which the management on the government's request removes unwanted content and pages from its website.

A military official said that following the appointment of General Sharif Nov 27, 2013, at least 37 accounts were created on Facebook posing as the army chief.

Friend lists of these fake accounts include senior journalists, politicians, businessmen, army personnel and even students, the official added.