Pakistan seeks YouTube ban on 27 opposition and journalist channels

Alphabet-owned YouTube has informed much than 2 twelve critics of the Pakistani authorities that it is reviewing a tribunal directive seeking to artifact their channels for allegedly being “anti-state”.

The channels astatine hazard of being blocked successful Pakistan see those belonging to the main absorption party, its person and jailed erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan, arsenic good arsenic respective journalists captious of the government, according to a tribunal bid dated June 24 and circulated this week.

The judicial magistrate tribunal successful Islamabad said it was seeking the prohibition aft the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency criticised the channels successful a June 2 study for “sharing highly intimidating, provocative and derogatory contents against authorities institutions and officials of the authorities of Pakistan”.

Digital rights campaigners accidental that immoderate prohibition would further undermine escaped code successful Pakistan, wherever the authorities are accused of stifling newspapers and television, and societal media is seen arsenic 1 of the fewer outlets for dissent.

YouTube told 27 contented creators that their channels could beryllium taken down if they did not comply with the tribunal orders.

“If you neglect to bash so, arsenic per our section instrumentality obligations, we whitethorn comply with the petition without further notice,” the fashionable video-sharing level said successful emails this week to the transmission owners.

YouTube’s determination communications manager did not instantly respond to a Reuters petition for a comment.

Threat of transgression charges

Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the contented creators would besides look transgression charges.

“You cannot usage these cellphones and the societal media to make chaos,” helium told section Geo News TV. “There are laws to regulate, and they volition person to enactment nether these laws,” helium said.

One of the creators, Asad Toor, who was among those served the tribunal order, shared the papers connected X. The bid listed the names of the blocked channels, including those tally by salient journalists and contented creators specified arsenic Imran Riaz Khan, Matiullah Jan, and Habib Akram.

🚨🚨
Received this from @YouTube. State deliberation they tin soundless america but I guarantee everybody that I volition support covering Balochs, Missing persons, Blasphemy pack victims, minorities, cardinal rights, compromised judges, rigged elections, hybrid authorities & unconditional relation of forces. pic.twitter.com/yim0m5MfDH

— Asad Ali Toor (@AsadAToor) July 8, 2025

Toor, who has much than 333,000 YouTube subscribers, said the determination was aimed astatine undermining cardinal and law rights of the people, governmental parties and different dissident groups.

“It is not astir me. It is astir these radical who are connected the near broadside of the state,” helium told Reuters. “I person dedicated my level for these underdogs who person nary spot to spell to and rise their voices against the authorities oppression.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed interest astir the tribunal order, saying the broad prohibition “conflates dissent with transgression activity”.

“The wholesale blocking of full channels—rather than addressing circumstantial instances of unlawful oregon hateful code — sets a unsafe precedent,” HRCP said successful a statement.

HRCP is greatly acrophobic by the caller tribunal directive blocking 27 YouTube channels, reportedly pursuing a ailment by the Federal Investigation Agency. The wholesale blocking of full channels—rather than addressing circumstantial instances of unlawful oregon hateful code in…

— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) July 9, 2025

After the authorities clamped down connected accepted media, galore autarkic reporters migrated to YouTube, arsenic did journalists and commentators sympathetic to Khan, who was removed from bureau successful 2022.

“It’s not lone astir anchors getting fired oregon YouTube channels getting banned. It’s what they are not allowing to beryllium told and the quality rights maltreatment they are trying to fell from the world,” said Zulfikar Bukhari, a spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Khan has said his enactment has faced a military-backed crackdown since his removal, a complaint the service denies.

“In this time and age, you can’t suppress integer media,” said Bukhari.

Government crackdown

The bid is the latest successful a bid of laws and regulations from Islamabad that person enabled the authorities to ace down connected critics and dissidents. It has blocked societal media platforms similar X, Facebook and TikTok connected respective occasions.

In January, Pakistan’s parliament introduced a caller amendment successful the Electronic Crimes Act to further modulate cyber content, which included a caller societal media regulatory authorization with its ain probe bureau and tribunals.

Such tribunals volition beryllium capable to effort and punish alleged offenders with situation sentences of arsenic agelong arsenic 3 years and fines of 2 cardinal rupees ($7,200) for dissemination of accusation deemed “false oregon fake”.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies