India Bans 16 Pakistani YouTube Channels Over Spread of Anti-India Content Following Pahalgam Attack

The Indian government on Monday banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading provocative, false, and communally sensitive content targeting India, its Army, and security agencies. The action follows the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed several innocent lives.

The ban was enforced based on recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Among the banned channels are major Pakistani media outlets and personalities, including Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Geo News, GNN, and others. Together, these channels had a massive combined viewership of over 63 million.

According to an official statement, the channels were actively spreading misinformation about India’s national security, foreign relations, and internal public order — particularly focusing on sensitive topics like the Indian Army and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir — with the intention of creating unrest and communal tensions in India.

In response to the Pahalgam attack, India summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat in New Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, and declared all Pakistani military attaches as Persona Non Grata, ordering their expulsion.

The ban is part of a series of tough measures rolled out by India following the attack, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned as a “cowardly assault on innocent civilians.” Decisions made by India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) include suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, closing the Attari-Wagah border crossing, cancelling the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani citizens, expelling Pakistani military officers from New Delhi, and reducing diplomatic staff at both Indian and Pakistani High Commissions.

The Pahalgam terror attack, attributed to the Pakistan-based group The Resistance Front, has sharply escalated tensions between the two countries.