Pahalgam Panic: India Bans Major Pakistani News and YouTube Channels

The Indian government has banned several Pakistani YouTube channels following their critical coverage of the Pahalgam attack. Critics have condemned the move, saying it reflects a broader effort to silence independent journalism and manipulate narratives on sensitive issues.

The ban targeted major news outlets and individual journalists who questioned New Delhi’s account of the incident, which resulted in the deaths of 25 tourists. These platforms alleged that the Indian government may have staged a false flag operation to escalate geopolitical tensions.

Indian media has previously reported that a hacker group allegedly linked to Pakistan had breached the Indian Army College of Nursing’s website, escalating suspicions and security concerns on both sides.

• List of Blocked Pakistani YouTube Channels in India
  Channel Name
  Dawn
  Samaa TV
  ARY News
  Bol News
  Raftar
  Geo News
  Suno News
  Irshad Bhatti
  Asma Shirazi
  Umar Cheema
  Muneeb Farooq
  The Pakistan Reference
  Samaa Sports
  Uzair Cricket
  Razi Naama

These banned YouTube channels had emerged as key platforms offering Pakistani perspectives on India’s military and political actions. Sources suggest that Indian authorities acted swiftly to remove these voices, especially after heightened attention to their coverage of the Pahalgam tragedy.

While Indian officials have justified the action by accusing the channels of spreading misinformation, critics see New Delhi’s latest attempt to ban Pakistani channels from offering a different perspective into the Pahalgam coverage a as a move to suppress dissent and prevent alternate versions of events from gaining public traction.

The latest ban comes amid a sharp rise in tensions between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed rivals with a history of confrontations. Following the Pahalgam attack, both governments undertook retaliatory measures — Pakistan, in particular, blocked its airspace to Indian flights, signaling a hardening stance in the aftermath of the tragedy.