ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Wednesday it has blocked 16 Indian YouTube channels and 32 Indian websites for spreading “anti-Pakistan propaganda” and disseminating false information following Indian military strikes inside Pakistani territory that killed 31 people.
The move, part of PTA’s move to combat disinformation, comes after a sharp military escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals. The Indian government said it struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites on Wednesday night, alleging that they were involved in planning a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. The assault took place on the tourist hill station of Pahalgam in the part of Kashmir governed by India, with 26 men killed.
“The PTA has blocked 16 Indian YouTube news channels, 31 YouTube video links and 32 websites for disseminating false information and anti-Pakistan propaganda,” the authority said.
“The blocked content was found to be spreading misleading and harmful narratives aimed at manipulating public perception and undermining national unity.”
The PTA said it had taken the action to “safeguard” national security and “protect” Pakistan’s digital ecosystem.
The authority said PTA is committed to maintaining a “safe, secure, and trustworthy” Internet environment for telecom users, adding that online content will continue to be actively monitored for material that threatens Pakistan’s national interests.
The development is a similar response to India blocking access to social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers on May 3.
In April, India banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content following the April 22 attack. The banned platforms included the YouTube channels of Pakistani news outlets Dawn, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Raftar, Geo News and Suno News.
