The Indian government imposed an unexpected ban on 16 Pakistani YouTube channels after accusing them of spreading false information and aggressive content. Indian government officials issued the ban after the Pahalgam attack which occurred in Jammu and Kashmir because they blamed Pakistani YouTube channels for promoting negative India content.
Ban of 16 YouTube channels by India
The Indian government undertook a ban on 16 YouTube channels, which included leading news platforms and notable journalists from Pakistan.
- Geo News
- Dawn News
- BOL News
- ARY News
- Samaa TV
- Suno News
- Muneeb Farooq (Journalist)
- Umar Cheema (Journalist)
- Asma Shirazi (Journalist)
- Irshad Bhatti (Journalist)
- Uzair Cricket
- The Pakistan Reference
- Razi Naama
- Samaa Sports
- GNN News
- Public TV
These digital platforms counted more than 63 million subscribers who could access their content both within Pakistan and internationally.
Media experts and analysts in Pakistan agree that blocking news channels and media groups represents an attack on freedom of speech, combined with an organized effort to silence opposition voices. The people in Pakistan understand this action as a component of India’s plan to limit Pakistani media expansion since they actively report about Kashmir and Indian human rights abuses.
Pakistan has appealed to worldwide organizations to monitor how New Delhi continues blocking free media operations.
The press restrictions in India emerged shortly after the nation blocked Pakistani visas and evicted all Pakistani residents because of increased political tensions.
The media ban has not stopped many Pakistani journalists and their channels from reporting independently while remaining determined to follow the truth.
Pakistani viewers express negative opinions about India’s banning actions since these show an unwillingness to engage in open dialogue or tolerate criticism. Media experts indicate that Indian censorship approaches fail to handle misinformation properly because they cut off their population from multiple perspectives, thus deepening mutual hostility between India and neighboring Pakistan.