Pakistan Social Media Post Sparks FIR in India

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A Pakistani social media user’s post about a 1998 plane hijacking has unexpectedly triggered legal action in India after an AI-powered monitoring system misinterpreted it as a threat.

On August 14, an AI social media listening tool in India flagged a post on X (formerly Twitter) by user @omeremran, whose profile identifies him as an aviation enthusiast and history buff. The flagged content was escalated to a senior vigilance officer, who treated it as a potential “threat mail.”

The next day, on August 15, an FIR (First Information Report) was filed at Hyderabad Airport Police Station in India. The case invokes sections 351(4) (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication) and 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the BNS, along with Section 66D (cheating by personation) of the Information Technology Act.

The controversy stems from a thread that recounted the dramatic hijacking of Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK-544 on May 25, 1998. The Fokker F-27 had taken off from Gwadar with 33 passengers and five crew members when it was seized by three armed men belonging to the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO).

The hijackers demanded the aircraft be flown to New Delhi. However, Pakistani authorities outmaneuvered the group, diverting the plane to Hyderabad Airport in Sindh. There, commandos stormed the aircraft, arrested the hijackers, and ended the standoff without civilian casualties.

According to @omeremran’s post, it is claimed that the three hijackers were later tried and executed, but this could not be independently verified. His thread, titled “The Hijacking that Pakistan Outsmarted”, framed the episode as a historic moment highlighting the successful response by Pakistani authorities.

The AI system that flagged the post may have misread references to “Hyderabad airport,” “Delhi,” and “Bhuj” as a potential threat rather than a historical account. This led to heightened security alerts and the FIR against the Pakistani user.

The unusual case has sparked debate on the limitations of AI-based surveillance tools, particularly when monitoring cross-border social media activity that includes historical or contextual references. It also highlights the growing scrutiny applied to digital content, even when not intended as provocative.

As of now, @omeremran has not publicly responded to the FIR, and Indian authorities have not provided further clarification on the case.