Days after the Pahalgam terror attack, India on Monday announced the banning of 16 Pakistan-based YouTube channels for spreading communally sensitive information ahead of the attack, as revealed by the government sources. These channels include leading media houses like Dawn, Samaa TV, ARY News, Geo News, Razi Naama, GNN, and Irshad Bhatti, officials said.
Additionally, YouTube channels of well-known journalists—Muneeb Farooq, Umar Cheema, Asma Shirazi, and Irshad Bhatti—have also been blocked.
As per the officials, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has taken the move on the recommendation of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The banning has been carried out on the basis that these channels were involved in “spreading communally sensitive content and misinformation against India.”
“On the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India has banned the 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News, and Geo News, for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives, and misinformation against India, its army, and security agencies in the backdrop of the tragic Pahalgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir,” a senior official said, and The New Indian Express reported.
Meanwhile, the government has also issued a formal letter to the BBC, stating India’s strong to Jackie Martin (BBC, India Head).
“The XP division of the Ministry of External Affairs has conveyed India’s strong sentiments to Jackie Martin (India Head, BBC) regarding their reporting on the terror attack. A formal letter has been written to the BBC, terming terrorists as militants,” a senior government official said.
In a communication to Jackie Martin, BBC’s India Head, the Ministry of External Affairs has conveyed the country’s strong sentiments regarding their reporting on the terror attack.
“A formal letter has been sent to the BBC on terming terrorists as militants. The External Publicity Division of the MEA will be monitoring the reporting of the BBC,” the official said.
On April 22, 2025, a deadly terrorist attack shook Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, as gunmen opened fire on civilians, killing at least 26 people, most of them tourists. The assault marked one of the deadliest incidents in the region since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken charge of the investigation and launched an extensive search operation in the area to dismantle the network behind the attack. Preliminary findings suggest involvement of Pakistan-based terror outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF).
