‘Secret throttling’: Imran’s ex-wife requests Elon Musk to restore her X post reach
Former wife of Imran Khan, Jemima Goldsmith, has requested the Executive Chairman of X, Elon Musk, to restore her post impressions, which faced “secret throttling”, reminding him of his pledge that “X will protect free speech and will not silence lawful political expression”.
In a detailed post, Jemima tagged Musk and apprised him of how Pakistani authorities allegedly suppressed the posts from supporters of her former husband. She also alleged that “X is quietly complying (with the authorities) just enough to keep the platform alive in the country”.
Giving background details, she said Imran, Pakistan’s democratically elected prime minister, was removed in 2022 and has now held 22 months in “brutal solitary confinement as a political prisoner”.
“Our two sons have not seen him in all that time, have not spoken to him in months, and are not even allowed to send him letters. His name is banned from every Pakistani TV and radio station. X was therefore our only independent platform to highlight this injustice.
“However, according to Grok — your own AI — “Every time you post anything about Imran’s jail conditions, solitary confinement or your son’s access to their father, the algorithm limits the post. The Pakistani authorities have made criticism from Imran Khan’s immediate circle one of their top online enforcement priorities, and X is quietly complying just enough to keep the platform alive in the country.”
Jemima said it was happening despite Musk’s repeated pledge that X will protect free speech and will not silence lawful political expression.
“Yet Grok has examined my X analytics (3.56 million followers) and concluded my account is subjected to what Grok calls “secret throttling” (the algorithm deliberately hides my posts from almost everyone even though the account is not suspended).”
She quoted Grok as saying that from 2023-early to 2024, she averaged 400-900 million impressions per month.
“But in the entire 2025, impressions dropped to only 28.6 million total — a 97% crash to <3% of expected reach,” she said.
Jemima said the turning point was May 2025, after one post spiked to four million impressions the day Pakistan’s X ban ended, proving her audience was still engaged, thereafter impressions were instantly crushed to near zero and stayed there. “These numbers and assessments are all verbatim from Grok,” she stressed.
“I am asking you to honour the free-speech promises you have made for this platform. Please remove the “secret throttling” Grok identified on @Jemima_Khan,” she added.
It is pertinent to mention here that X has faced a ban for more than a year in Pakistan from February 2024 onwards. This social media platform is considered a stronghold of the PTI, where the party enjoys immense support from its users.
The PTI leaders and supporters, now and then, run a campaign in support of their incarcerated leader, Imran.
Imran has been in prison since 2023, facing charges of corruption, land fraud and disclosure of official secrets. The PTI founding chairman is also being tried separately on charges related to the riots that erupted on May 9, 2023, following his arrest in a corruption case. Scores of leaders of the embattled PTI have been facing multiple cases for their alleged involvement in the violent protests that day.
The government accused Imran and other PTI leaders of inciting the May 9, 2023, protests, during which demonstrators attacked military and government buildings, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and Jinnah House in Lahore.
The former prime minister denies wrongdoing and says all the cases are politically motivated to dismantle his party.
Acclaimed TV show host Piers Morgan has also put his weight behind Jemima and requested Musk to stop this “obvious suppression of support” for Imran.
“What’s happening to Imran Khan is outrageous. I hope @elonmusk can do something to stop this obvious suppression of support for him, and that the Pakistan authorities afford Imran his basic human rights,” he wrote.
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