Guwahati: Acting on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ recommendation, the Indian government has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading misinformation and communally sensitive content in the aftermath of the recent Pahalgam terror attack.
This decision followed closely after 26 people lost their lives in a deadly terrorist strike in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region.
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Security personnel continue to examine the attack site, where food stalls and public spaces remain deserted following the violence.
The banned list includes channels run by major Pakistani media houses such as Geo News, Dawn, Raftar, Bol News, ARY News, Samaa TV, and Suno News.
Authorities also blocked channels belonging to well-known journalists like Muneeb Farooq, Umar Cheema, Asma Shirazi, and Irshad Bhatti.
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Other channels affected include Uzair Cricket, The Pakistan Reference, Razi Naama, and Samaa Sports. Together, these platforms had amassed over 63 million subscribers.
Government officials stated that these channels circulated misleading and provocative narratives aimed at inciting divisions and targeting India’s security forces.
The crackdown comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror strike in Baisaran meadow near the tourist hub of Pahalgam, one of the worst attacks in the region since Pulwama in 2019.
In parallel, India formally objected to the BBC’s coverage of the Pahalgam incident. Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that they sent a letter to Jackie Martin, the BBC’s India Head, criticizing the outlet for referring to the terrorists as “militants.”
The MEA’s External Publicity Division has pledged to closely monitor the BBC’s future reporting on such incidents.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its probe at the site, with senior officials, including an IG, DIG, and SP, leading efforts to gather evidence and question eyewitnesses. The Indian Army has launched extensive search operations in the region to track down the attackers.
Public outrage continues to build nationwide, with protests erupting in several states demanding tougher diplomatic and strategic responses against Pakistan over the terror attack.