In the wake of escalating geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, the Indian government has blocked access to 16 Pakistani YouTube channels on the recommendations of its Ministry of Home Affairs.

Among the blocked channels are: Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Geo News, Bol News, SUNO News HD, Raftar, GNN, Irshad Bhatti, The Pakistan Reference, Samaa Sports, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, and Raazi Nama. Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel and the podcast ‘The Pakistan Experience’ by comedian Shehzad Ghias have also been restricted.

Viewers in India attempting to access these channels now encounter a message stating that the content has been blocked due to an “order from the government related to national security or public order.” Dawn reported that it had confirmed that these channels were inaccessible in India.

Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, condemned India’s move to block Pakistani YouTube channels. He contacted heads of affected media outlets and journalists, praising them for defending Pakistan’s narrative.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (N-CERT) has issued an advisory warning media outlets and content creators against sharing sensitive information related to national security. The advisory pointed to an “uptick in the circulation of videos, images, and commentary revealing troop movements, military deployments, and sensitive national security activities” on social media and other public forums, Dawn reported.

N-CERT warned that such disclosures may endanger operational effectiveness and facilitate hostile actions. The agency cautioned against sharing mapping coordinates, deepfakes, and unverified reports.