India has blocked the official YouTube channels of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
It merits a mention that ISPR has released detailed videos unearthing the Indian government’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which gained large traction from the Indian audience.
Pakistan has strongly criticised the Indian government’s continuous censorship, while claiming to be the “world’s largest democracy.”
Tensions between India and Pakistan have risen sharply since the Pahalgam attack on April 22 as India shifted the blame to Pakistan without providing any evidence.
Pakistan has officially condemned the attack while calling for transparent and independent inquiries.
India, however, continues to blame Pakistan for its internal governance failures, while the Indian media has gone into a war frenzy, calling for direct attacks in Pakistan.
The Modi-led government has also blocked social media platforms of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars.
India has not given any official reason behind the illogical blocking of sports, which has nothing to do with politics.
Earlier, India suspended live streaming of PSL matches via the local platform Fancode and removed match highlights.
It must be highlighted that Pakistan’s Foreign Office may raise the issue of digital censorship with international rights organisations and platform providers, labelling India’s recent actions a violation of global standards on freedom of expression.
Here’s a table listing the Pakistani YouTube channels reportedly restricted by India, along with their subscriber counts:
| Channel Name | Subscribers |
|---|---|
| Geo News | 18.1 million |
| Express News | 4.8 million |
| ARY News | 14.6 million |
| Samaa TV | 12.7 million |
| Bol News | 7.85 million |
| ShoaibAkhtar100mph | 3.81 million |
| GNN | 3.54 million |
| Dawn News TV | 1.96 million |
| Suno News HD | 1.36 million |
| Irshad Bhatti | 829k |
| Raftar | 805k |
| Muneeb Farooq | 165k |
| Asma Shirazi | 133k |
| Umar Cheema Exclusive | 125k |
| Pakistan Reference | 288k |
| Uzair Cricket | 288k |
| Razi Nama | 270k |
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