New Delhi: India on Monday banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including those of cricketer-turned-commentator Shoaib Akhtar and cricket analyst Wasay Habib, for spreading false and misleading narratives and misinformation in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack.
The YouTube accounts of several leading Pakistani news channels, Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Raftar, Geo News, and Suno News, have also been restricted.
“On the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has banned some Pakistani YouTube channels 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,” government sources told ANI.
Besides Akhtar and Habib, channels of prominent Pakistan cricket personalities Basit Ali and Rashid Latif have been banned. These include The Pakistan Reference, Samaa Sports, Uzair Cricket, and Razi Naama.
None of these personalities has issued a public statement on the ban.
Channels run by journalists like Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, and Muneeb Farooq have also been blocked for Indian users. The banned platforms have around 63 million subscribers in total.
Check the list here
