NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, the government on Monday announced banning 16 YouTube channels of Pakistan, including that of several leading media houses of that country such as Dawn, Samaa TV, ARY News, Geo News, Razi Naama, GNN and Irshad Bhatti, officials said.
The officials said that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting action has taken the action on the recommendation of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), as it was found that these channels were involved in “spreading communally sensitive content and misinformation against India.”
A senior government official said, “On the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India has banned the 16 Pakistani YouTube channels including Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News, Geo News for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India, its Army and security agencies in the backdrop of the tragic Pahalgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir.”
As per the list of 16 YouTube channels shared by the officials, their combined subscriber-base is 63.08 million. The banned YouTube channels include that of news agencies and individuals. The channel names, which figure in the list, are Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, Samaa TV, ARY News, BOL news, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, Suno News HD, and Razi Naama.
The Officials said these channels cannot be accessed in India anymore and others, if found disseminating misleading information about India and its security forces, will also be taken down.
Meanwhile, the Centre has also written to the BBC regarding its reporting on the Pahalgam attack. “The XP division of the ministry of external affairs has conveyed India’s strong sentiments to Jackie Martin (India Head, BBC) regarding their reporting on the terror attack. A formal letter has been written to BBC, terming terrorists as militants,” a senior government official said, adding that the XP division would continue to keep an eye on future reporting by the BBC.
This follows a similar backlash against The New York Times by the US government, the NYT also had described the attackers as "militants" in its coverage. The US Senate panel and the House Foreign Affairs Committee had previously criticized such language, arguing it undermines the gravity of the terror attack.
In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, tensions have heightened between Indian and Pakistan, as the Indian government has suspended the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and cancelled visas given to Pakistani nationals. There is continuous firing by Pakistani troops on the Indian side, which is being retaliated too as well for the past three days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured the nation that India would hunt down those behind the dastardly attack and their backers. On Sunday the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe in the terror attack case and has intensified efforts to collect evidence and has aggressively been interrogating several overground workers and jailed terrorists.
Centre has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including those of prominent news outlets and former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar - for spreading provocative, false content aimed at inciting communal tensions and undermining India’s sovereignty and security, according to government sources.
The banned channels, which collectively have around 63 million subscribers, include major Pakistani news outlets such as Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Geo News, Raftar, and Suno News. YouTube channels operated by journalists like Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, and Muneeb Farooq have also been blocked for Indian users. Other banned platforms include The Pakistan Reference, Samaa Sports, Uzair Cricket, and Razi Naama.
Meanwhile, there is no let-up in border tensions between India and Pakistan, as Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) for the fourth consecutive night, opening unprovoked fire on army posts in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara and Poonch districts.
Indian troops responded swiftly with appropriate small arms fire, though no casualties or injuries were reported on either side.
This marks the fourth consecutive night that Pakistani troops have breached the ceasefire and fired on Indian army posts along the LoC. Over the past three nights, Pakistani forces have targeted army posts in the Valley, with the most recent attack extending into the Poonch district.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have heightened following the deadly terrorist attack. Security agencies have ramped up their efforts to track down those responsible for the attack.
India has taken a series of stringent actions against Pakistan, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, the suspension of the over six-decade-old Indus Waters Treaty, and the immediate closure of the Attari land-transit post.
These decisions were made on Wednesday following a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who pledged that India will "identify, track, and punish" every terrorist and their "backers" behind the deadly Pahalgam attack.
In retaliation, Pakistan has suspended all bilateral agreements with India, including the 1972 Simla Agreement.
(With inputs from Online Desk)
