India bans 16 Pakistani YouTube channels

In a fresh crackdown on social media sites from Pakistan, the government has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels. The action, initiated on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), came after the YouTube channels were found disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India, the Army and security agencies following the Pahalgam incident.

LeT-backed TRF first claimed responsibility for the attack, but later withdrew it. The YouTube channels banned include Dawn News, Ary News and Geo News, Samaa Sports, The Pakistan Reference, among others.

The Centre also conveyed its strong sentiment to Jackie Martin, India head of BBC, regarding their reporting on the terror attack, officials said. In a letter to BBC for terming ‘terrorists’ as ‘militants’, they added the government has given a stern warning and informed the publication that MEA is closely monitoring the reporting of BBC on the terror attack.

Former Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Basit Ali’s YouTube channels have also been blocked in India. On WhatsApp, a message is going around claiming that the government has opened a bank account for the modernisation of Army. The defence ministry has stated that this a misleading claim.