Ex-Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar's YT channel BANNED in India after Pahalgam massacre

After the Pahalgam terror attack, India bans 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including ex-cricketer Shoaib Akhtar's, for spreading provocative and misleading content.

Amid rising tensions following the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including the channel of former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, spreading false and misleading narratives, and circulating misinformation against India, its Army, and security agencies.

Shoaib Akhtar's YT channel BANNED

Indian users attempting to access Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel, which has 3.81 million subscribers, are now met with a message stating, "This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order. For more details about government removal requests, please visit the Google Transparency Report (transparencyreport.google.com)."

Along with Shoaib Akhtar’s channel, prominent Pakistani media outlets such as Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, and Geo News have also been banned under the same charges.

India's response to Pahalgam attack

The move comes in the wake of the tragic terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, where gunmen targeted tourists near the famous Baisaran Meadow, killing 26 people, including one Nepalese national. The Pahalgam attack is one of the deadliest incidents in the region since the 2019 Pulwama attack, which claimed the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans.

Following the attack, the Government of India announced a series of strong diplomatic measures against Pakistan. These include the closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, the suspension of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals with a 40-hour deadline to leave India, and the reduction of staff at both Indian and Pakistani High Commissions.

In a significant move, India has also halted the Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, citing the gravity of the Pahalgam terror incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation, said, "The terrorists responsible for this attack, along with those who conspired to commit it, will face punishment beyond their imagination." He further asserted, "The time has come to eliminate the remaining strongholds of terrorism and that the willpower of 140 crore Indians will now break the backbone of the perpetrators of terror."