After the Pelgam terror attack, the Indian government has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels with a combined subscriber base of 63 million for spreading provocative, communally sensitive, and misleading content against India and its security agencies.
India Blocks 16 Pakistani YouTube Channels
The banned channels include prominent Pakistani news outlets such as Dawn, Sama TV, ARY News, Bold News, Rafar, Geo News, and Sun News, as well as channels belonging to journalists like Bhat, Ashma Shirazi, Omar Chima, and Mun Faruk. Other banned handles include Pakistan Reference, Sama Sports, Usuza Cricket, and Razi Nama.
| Sl. No. | Name of the YouTube Channel | YouTube Handle | No. of Subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dawn News | @dawnnewspakistan | 1.96M |
| 2 | Irshad Bhatti | @IrshadBhatti01 | 827K |
| 3 | SAMAA TV | @Samaatv | 12.7M |
| 4 | ARY NEWS | @Arynewstvofficial | 14.6M |
| 5 | BOL NEWS | @BOLNewsofficial | 7.85M |
| 6 | Raftaar | @raftaartv | 804K |
| 7 | The Pakistan Reference | @ThePakistanReference | 288K |
| 8 | Geo News | @geonews | 18.1M |
| 9 | Samaa Sports | @SamaaSports | 73.5K |
| 10 | GNN | @gnnhdofficial | 3.54M |
| 11 | Uzair Cricket | @UzairCricket786 | 288K |
| 12 | Umar Cheema Exclusive | @UmarCheemaExclusive | 125K |
| 13 | Asma Shirazi | @AsmaShiraziofficial | 133K |
| 14 | Muneeb Farooq | @muneebfarooqofficial | 165K |
| 15 | SUNO News HD | @SUNONewsHD | 1.36M |
| 16 | Razi Naama | @razinaama | 270K |
This decision was taken on the recommendations of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, citing the dissemination of false narratives and misinformation in the aftermath of the tragic Pelgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir. The government described the content as crossing red lines by attempting to inflame communal tensions and spread provocative narratives against Indian agencies.
In addition to the bans, India has formally conveyed strong sentiments to the BBC India head, Jackie Martin, criticizing their reporting on the Pelgam terror attack. The Indian government objected to the BBC’s use of the term “militants” for terrorists, emphasizing that such terminology is unacceptable and misrepresents the nature of the attack. Similar criticism was noted against other media outlets like The New York Times, which later corrected their terminology after internal review.
The Indian government has committed to monitoring the BBC’s future reporting to ensure accurate and responsible journalism regarding terrorism-related incidents.
This decisive action reflects India’s firm stance against misinformation and attempts to destabilize communal harmony through media channels, especially in sensitive contexts like the Jammu and Kashmir terror incidents.
