The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) expressed alarm over an Islamabad court’s order to block 27 YouTube channels, which are operated by journalists, commentators, and political voices on allegations of spreading “provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of state of Pakistan”. PPF urged the court to reconsider such a mass blanket ban.  We urge the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and relevant authorities to respect due process and constitutional guarantees when handling digital content.

PPF notes with alarm that the process of blocking these channels was initiated without giving the affected individuals the right to respond, raising concerns about transparency, due process, and the chilling effect on freedom of expression online.

PPF reiterates that while the state may have need to address disinformation, any such action must be transparent, proportional, and respectful of fundamental rights. The unilateral silencing of critical voices through opaque legal processes threatens the democratic values of accountability and freedom of expression.

An order from the Court of the Judicial Magistrate NCCIA Islamabad in response to an enquiry dated June 2, 2025, listed the names of 27 YouTube channels. These included channels operated by prominent journalists such as Matiullah Jan, Asad Ali Toor, and Ahmad Noorani; political commentators like Imran Riaz Khan, Siddique Jan, and Sabir Shakir; the official channel of the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and its founder, Imran Khan; as well as several others.

The written order stated that the content on these channels constitutes offences punishable under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act and other penal laws of Pakistan. It directed the Head or Officer In-Charge of the Security Department / Custodian of Records at Google LLC to block and remove the specified YouTube channels.

According to Dawn, an NCCIA sub-inspector had informed the judicial magistrate in Islamabad that under PECA, they were conducting an enquiry into “YouTube channels who are involved in disseminating and propagating fake and misleading information against the state Institutions which is likely to cause fear, panic, disorder or unrest in the general public or society along with defamatory and fake remarks/information, which violates the privacy and harms the dignity of the officials of state institutions.”

He said that they were found sharing “highly intimidating, provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of state of Pakistan,” a “source of publicly disseminating/propagating false, misleading and fake information against the state institutions/officials.” He said the suspects had “attempted to provoke the general public and armed forces personnel by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the state,” Dawn reported.

YouTube has begun notifying affected channel owners. A notice sent to journalist Asad Toor stated:

“We have received a legal removal request citing the court order dated 24 June 2025 in Enquiry No. 717/2025, seeking blocking of your channel [… ] A copy of the court order is attached for your reference. You may choose to act on the said content in terms of the aforesaid court order. If you fail to do so, as per our local law obligations, we may comply with the request without further notice to you.”

The Press Association of the Supreme Court of Pakistan strongly condemned the move, describing it as a violation of constitutional rights. The Association stated that journalists were denied a fair hearing and described the order as a form of “economic strangulation.” The statement called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take immediate notice.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said they were greatly concerned by the court directive, which they said came following a complaint by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).“The wholesale blocking of entire channels—rather than addressing specific instances of unlawful or hateful speech in accordance with due process—conflates dissent with criminal activity,” HRCP said.

The FIA issued a statement that news reports that the judicial magistrate’s order to the FIA to close the YouTube channels was “completely baseless and inaccurate,” adding that the NCCIA was now fully operational and the court order was issued on NCCIA’s request.

Currently, most of the YouTube channels remain accessible in Pakistan.