 "The accounts of Shoaib Akhtar and Wasay Habib are among Pakistani YouTube channels banned by India following the Pahalgam attack. Image credit: YouTube screengrab")
Pace legend Shoaib Akhtar’s channel is among several Pakistani YouTube accounts that have been banned by India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack . The channels of several other popular individual creators including cricket analyst Wasay Habib have been banned as the Government of India continues to take action against Pakistan for the deadly attack that left 26 people dead.
The ban follows a recommendation by the Ministry of Home Affairs which cited the spready of “provocative, communally sensitive content” as well as “misleading narratives targetting India, its military, and security agencies” as the reason for the ban.
Accounts of Pakistani news channels also banned by New Delhi
The YouTube accounts of several leading Pakistani news channels including Dawn News and Geo News have also been banned as a result.
And besides Akhtar and Habib, the accounts of Arzoo Kazmi, Syed Muzammil Shah and journalists such as Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, and Muneeb Farooq have also been restricted in India.
“This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order. For more details about government removal requests, please visit the Google Transparency Report (transparencyreport.google.com),” reads a statement on YouTube when trying to visit the accounts banned by New Delhi.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIt’s also worth noting that while one cannot access the banned YouTube channels, their videos can still be watched on the website through search results.
Surprisingly, the YouTube account of former Pakistan captain and all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who had recently described the Indian Army as “useless” and demanded proof of Pakistan’s involvement in the attacks, is still accessible in India.
The accounts of Pakistan batting legend Inzamam-ul-Haq and cricketer-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja are also available to Indian users of the popular video-sharing and streaming website.
The Narendra Modi-led Central Government had earlier suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and closed the Attari-Wagah checkpost besides suspending all visas for Pakistani nationals.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also been advised a complete cricketing boycott of Pakistan . India has not been playing bilateral cricket with their arch-rivals for more than a decade now, but their meetings in ICC and Asian events remains the biggest draw in the sport.