Pahalgam attack: Ex-cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s channel among 16 Pakistani YouTube channels banned

New Delhi: Centre has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including those of prominent news outlets and former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar.

This follows the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 tourists were slain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers.

The channels have been banned for spreading provocative, false content aimed at inciting communal tensions and undermining India’s sovereignty and security.

The banned channels, which collectively have around 63 million subscribers, include major Pakistani news outlets such as Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Geo News, Raftar, and Suno News. YouTube channels operated by journalists like Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, and Muneeb Farooq have also been blocked for Indian users. Other banned platforms include The Pakistan Reference, Samaa Sports, Uzair Cricket, and Razi Naama.

When opening these channels, a note appears which says: “This 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 (transparencyreport.google.com).”

Avoid Sensitive Content:

It may be recalled that two days ago, the Centre issued an advisory directing all media channels to refrain from providing live coverage of defence operations and security forces' movements. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in a statement issued on Saturday, urged all media platforms, news agencies, and social media users to act with the utmost responsibility and comply strictly with existing laws and regulations when reporting on defence and security-related matters.

The advisory specifically prohibits real-time coverage, dissemination of visuals, or reporting based on "source-based" information regarding defence operations and troop movements.