 "Government of India blocks 16 Pakistani Youtube channels. Image Credit: Reuters")
Days after the Pahalgam attack , the government of India banned at least 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, accusing them of spreading “provocative and communally sensitive” content against India. In addition to this, the government also restricted former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel, which had over 3.5 million subscribers.
The banned accounts also include major Pakistani news channels that are often accused of pushing Pakistan’s aggressive rhetoric. The measure was taken days after 26 tourists were killed by terrorists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, sending shockwaves across India. The incident led to a major diplomatic row between India and Pakistan, with both nations putting a hold on key deals.
The YouTube channels banned by the Indian government include: Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Raftar, Geo News, Suno News, and YouTube channels of journalists like Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, and Muneeb Farooq. Other banned channels include The Pakistan Reference, Samaa Sports, Uzair Cricket, and Razi Naama.
The government calls out BBC reportage
Apart from this, the government also sent a “strongly worded” letter to the BBC over their reportage of the Pahalgam attack. In the letter, the government objected to the usage of the word ‘militants’ for terrorists who opened fire in the Baisaran valley and said that it would monitor the new agency’s reporting on the matter.
In an article titled “Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack,” the BBC referred to the terror attack as a “militant attack”, prompting the government’s letter to BBC India head Jackie Martin.
A source close to the matter said that the channels were blocked on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs after it was found that these channels were spreading misinformation and false narratives. The channels were accused of spreading content designed to incite communal tensions, particularly in the aftermath of the terror attack.
If a user in India attempts to access these channels, they will see a message from YouTube saying: “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.” It is unclear how long the blocks will be in place.