Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's X account blocked in India

The X (formerly Twitter) account of Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has been blocked in India. He had alleged in an interview on Monday that a military incursion by India was "imminent" in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26.

Earlier, the government blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating "false, provocative and communally sensitive content" about India and also strongly objected to the BBC's reportage on the Pahalgam attack.

The blocked YouTube channels were Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News and Razi Naama.

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"On the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India has banned Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India, its Army and security agencies in the backdrop of the tragic Pahalgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir," officials said.

ALSO READ: India blocks Pakistani YouTube channels after Pahalgam terror attack

In a missive to BBC India head Jackie Martin, the MEA conveyed the country's strong sentiments over the reporting on the Pahalgam terror attack. It objected to the description of terrorists as "militants" in its reporting on the Pahalgam tragedy.

In one news flash, the BBC said, "Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists". This was flagged by the government as objectionable.

"A formal letter has been sent to the BBC on terming terrorists as militants. The External Publicity Division of the MEA will be monitoring the reporting of the BBC," an official added.

The government has also blocked a message doing the rounds on WhatsApp terming it as "misleading". The message talked about the contribution of one rupee every day for "modernisation of the Indian Army and for soldiers who are injured or martyred in the war zone".