Pakistan Government's Official Twitter Handle Withheld In India, 2nd Time In 6 Months

The official Twitter handle of the Pakistan government has been withheld in India for the second time in six months.

Screenshot of the Twitter handle of Pakistan govt, now withheld in India

Source : Twitter

The official Twitter handle of the Pakistan government has been withheld in India for the second time in six months and the reason for the same is yet to be ascertained. If one tries to open the account, it shows: "@GovtofPakistan's account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand."

The Twitter account of the Pakistan government was last withheld in India in October 2022.

In June last year, Twitter in India banned official accounts of Pakistan Embassies in the United Nations, Turkey, Iran and Egypt. In August, India blocked eight YouTube-based news channels, including one operating from Pakistan and one Facebook account for posting "fake, anti-India content" online.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in a statement said the action was taken by imposing emergency powers under Information Technology Rules, 2021. 

The blocked Indian YouTube channels were observed to be using fake and sensational thumbnails, images of news anchors and logos of certain TV news channels to mislead the viewers to believe that the news was authentic.

Govt Blocks 6 YouTube-Based News Channels For Spreading Fake News

In January, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting busted six YouTube channels, which were working in a coordinated manner and spreading fake news in India. The government has busted YouTube channels for fake news peddling and these channels are part of the fake news economy. 

The channels use fake, clickbait and sensational thumbnails as well as images of anchors of television news channels to mislead, said a statement by the Press Information Bureau.

The six YouTube channels were found to be operating as part of a coordinated disinformation network, had nearly 20 lakh subscribers and their videos have been watched over 51 crore times.

Last year, the government blocked eight YouTube channels for spreading disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations, and public order. The blocked YouTube channels included one Pakistan-based news channel and seven Indian news channels, according to reports. The YouTube-based news channels were blocked for allegedly spreading fake news to mislead viewers under IT Rules, 2021.