Govt bans 16 Pak YouTube channels, writes to BBC India head over Pahalgam coverage

Acting on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Centre has reportedly banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content as well as misinformation against India, the army and security agencies in the backdrop of the Pahalgam attack.

The government has also communicated with BBC India head Jacky Martens over the media organisation terming “terrorists” as “militants”. It said it is closely monitoring the outlet’s reporting on Pahalgam, according to The Hindu.

The Pakistani YouTube channels banned include those belonging to Dawn News, Ary News, Geo News, Samaa TV and Bol News. 

This comes two days after the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an advisory asking all media channels within India to refrain from live coverage of defence operations and the movement of security forces.

Citing lessons from past incidents such as the Kargil conflict, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and the Kandahar hijacking, the advisory stated these past operations underscored the importance of responsible reporting and reminded that “unrestricted coverage had unintended adverse consequences on national interests.”.

The advisory cited the provisions of Rule 6(1)(p) of the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021, which clearly states that no programme should feature live coverage of anti-terrorist operations. Coverage must be limited to official briefings by government-designated officers until the conclusion of the operations.

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