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Indian crackdown on Pakistani propaganda; 20 Pak-operated YouTube channels, 2 websites shut down

The modus operandi of the anti-India disinformation campaign, which was meticulously tracked down by the intelligence agencies and the I&B ministry, involved the Naya Pakistan Group (NPG) operating from Pakistan.

Indian crackdown on Pakistani propaganda; 20 Pak-operated YouTube channels, 2 websites shut down
Author
New Delhi, First Published Dec 21, 2021, 5:59 PM IST

In a major crackdown on the online anti-India hate campaign, India's Information and Broadcasting Ministry has shut down 20 channels on YouTube and two websites that were being operated from Pakistan and were indulging his spreading propaganda against India and generating fake news on the Internet.

The modus operandi of the anti-India disinformation campaign, which was meticulously tracked down by the intelligence agencies and the I&B ministry, involved the Naya Pakistan Group (NPG) operating from Pakistan. The NPG comprised a network of YouTube channels and some standalone channels. 

Some of the YouTube channels of the Naya Pakistan Group were being operated by anchors of Pakistani news channels. The YouTube channels and web portals were part of a disinformation network that was spreading fake news on many sensitive subjects related to India. The Pakistan-based channels used the YouTube platform to share divisive content on subjects like farm laws, Chinese faceoff with India, Kashmir, Indian Army, General Bipin Rawat, minorities in India and Ram Mandir

These YouTube channels also shared propaganda material on topics like protests related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Attempts were made to peddle fake narratives to incite the minorities against the Indian government. Intelligence agencies also noted how these YouTube channels were engaged in posting content that was aimed at undermining the democratic process of the upcoming elections.

The government, in a statement, said that action was initiated using emergency powers under Rule 16 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 to secure the information space in India. The use of the emergency powers was necessitated by the fact that mostly the content dealt with subjects that are sensitive from the viewpoint of national security and are factually incorrect. Besides, there was also confirmation that the coordinated disinformation network (similar to Naya Pakistan Group) was being operated from Pakistan. 

The YouTube channels that have been blocked are:

The Punch Line

InternationalWeb News

Khalsa TV

The Naked Truth

News24

48 News

Fictional

Historical Facts

Punjab Viral

Naya Pakistan Global 

Cover Story

Go Global eCommerce

Junaid Haleem Official

Tayyab Hanif

Zain Ali Official

Mohsin Rajput

Kaneez Fatima

Sadaf Durrani

Mian Imran Ahmad

Najam Ul Hassan Bajwa

The total number of subscribers on these YouTube channels stood at 37,52,898 while the overall views on them were 58,68,07,175.

Also Read: Why S-400 missile system deployment in Punjab is a 'game-changer'

Also Read: Calling Pakistan and Imran Khan's bluff about a 'successful' OIC summit

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