India blocks Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s YouTube channel amid rising tensions
New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s YouTube channel was blocked in India on Friday amid escalating tensions between the two nations following the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
A message displayed on the blocked channel stated, "The 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."
Action against Pakistani channels
Earlier this week, the government had also blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading "false, provocative, and communally sensitive content" about India. Additionally, strong objections were raised regarding the BBC’s coverage of the Pahalgam attack.
The government's actions were taken following recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs after the 22 April terror attack in the upper reaches of the Kashmir resort town, where 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
BBC coverage under scrutiny
Furthermore, the Ministry of External Affairs will be closely monitoring the BBC’s reporting, after concerns were raised when the broadcaster referred to terrorists as militants, officials stated.
List of blocked channels
The YouTube channels that have been blocked include 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, and Razi Naama.
PTI inputs