India blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for broadcasting provocative and communally sensitive content, along with spreading false propaganda against India, its army, and security apparatus.
The move was made by the Indian government on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, after the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The blocked channels comprise top names such as 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 channels were blamed for broadcasting misleading and unsubstantiated content related to India's national security, diplomatic ties, and public order. In total, the channels had more than 63 million viewers.
The accounts were held accountable for disseminating fake news about issues such as the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and India's foreign policy, especially after the Pahalgam terror attack.
India suspended the official X account of the Pakistani government too in a similar move following the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians and injured many others.
Following the attack, India took a strong diplomatic action, summoning Pakistan's senior-most diplomat in New Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, and issuing formal Persona Non Grata notices to all Pakistan military attaches.
The steps are one of India's broader retaliatory actions following Prime Minister Narendra Modi having described the attack as a "cowardly attack on innocent civilians."
The assault, conducted by the Pakistan-based militant organization The Resistance Front, has aggressively heightened tensions between the two countries.
Thereafter, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by Prime Minister Modi issued a series of tough steps, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari-Wagah border, cancelling the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani citizens, ejecting Pakistan's military attaches from New Delhi, and downsizing diplomatic staff at both High Commissions.
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