Govt blocks 16 Pak YouTube channels; sends stinker to BBC about Pahalgam coverage

The action has been initiated by the ministry of information and broadcasting based on recommendations of the ministry of home affairs

Updated on: Apr 28, 2025, 14:16:36 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The central government has ordered YouTube to block 16 Pakistani channels including that of Dawn news, Samaa TV, ARY News, BOL News, Geo News and GNN “for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, misinformation and misleading narrative against India, Indian army, and other security agencies”, officials familiar with the development said on Monday.

A formal letter has been written to BBC terming terrorists as militants. (Reuters file photo)

Terrorists struck at a tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir last Tuesday, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists, and injuring several others.

The government has initiated action against other social media posts and reporting related to Pahalgam, including by the BBC, the people cited above said.

The action has been initiated by the ministry of information and broadcasting based on recommendations of the ministry of home affairs (MHA).

“On the recommendations of the MHA, government has banned Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narrative and misinformation against India, its Army and security agencies in the backdrop of the tragic Pahalgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir,” said an officer, who asked not to be named.

Also Read: Pahalgam attack live updates: Rajnath Singh likely to meet PM Modi today

The banned 16 YouTube Pakistani channels, having combined 63.08 million subscribers, belong to news channels and individuals including - Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, Samaa TV, ARY News, BOL news, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, Suno News HD, and Razi Naama.

Officials said these channels cannot be accessed in India anymore and others, if found disseminating misleading information about India and its security forces, will also be taken down.

The Centre has also written to the BBC regarding its reporting on the Pahalgam attack.

“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 BBC terming terrorists as militants,” said a second officer cited above.

“XP division will also be monitoring the further reporting of BBC,” he added.

Following the terror attack in Pahalgam, tensions have heightened between two countries with India suspending Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and ordering removal of all Pakistani nationals.

There is continuous firing by Pakistani troops on Indian side, which is being retaliated too as well for past three days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed that India will hunt down those behind the dastardly attack.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has already taken over the probe in the case and is interrogating several overground workers and jailed terrorists.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More

Indian Army

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather major national developments and Karnataka Bandh LIVE.