Pakistan Govt’s Official Twitter Account Withheld in India: All You Need To Know

This is the second time the Pakistani government's Twitter account has been withheld in India in recent months.

This is the second time the Twitter page of the Pakistani government has been withheld in India in recent months.

(Photo: Screenshot) 

The Twitter account of the Government of Pakistan was withheld for users in India on Saturday, 1 October, marking the second time this has happened in recent months.

A message on the Pakistani government's Twitter page read, "GovtofPakistan's account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand."

The account was earlier withheld in July, but was reactivated and made visible to the public, news agency ANI reported.

According to Twitter guidelines, such actions can be taken in response to legal demands, such as court orders. The social media giant stated that if it "receives a valid and properly scoped request from an authorised entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time."

YouTube Channels Blocked

Earlier, the Union Ministry for Information and Broadcasting had blocked 16 news channels on YouTube, including six from Pakistan, for allegedly spreading "disinformation" in connection with India's national security, relations with foreign countries and public order.

In June, Twitter in India had banned the official accounts of Pakistani embassies in the United Nations, Iran, Egypt, and Turkey.

In August, eight more news channels on YouTube were banned, including one based in Pakistan, for posting alleged "fake, anti-India" content on their respective pages.

The I&B Ministry had said in a statement that the action was taken as per emergency powers under the Information Technology Rules, 2021.

The blocked YouTube channels were purportedly using fake and sensational thumbnails, pictures of news anchors and logos of some TV news channels to "mislead" viewers into believing that the news was authentic.

So far, the Union government has blocked more than 100 YouTube channels, four Facebook pages, five Twitter and three Instagram accounts for allegedly spreading and promoting hatred against the country.

On 29 September, Twitter had also withheld the account of the Popular Front of India (PFI) for a period of five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a day after it was banned by the Centre.

(With inputs from ANI.)