June 28, 2022 – Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has raised concerns over India’s blocking of Twitter accounts belonging to Pakistani embassies in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and the United Nations, and called on Twitter to restore access to them immediately.
“Deeply concerning that India has blocked flow of information to Indian Twitter by withholding access to following official accounts,” reads a tweet from the Foreign Office. “Diminishing space for plurality of voices and access to info in India is extremely alarming. Social media platforms must abide by applicable international laws.”
Deeply concerning that #India has blocked flow of information to Indian @Twitter by withholding access to following official accounts👇🏽
📍@PakinIran
📍@PakinTurkey
📍@PakinEgypt
📍@PakistanUN_NY.These are in addition to many others for which access has been blocked.
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) June 27, 2022
Earlier, the Indian Ministry of Information Technology and Broadcasting blocked 16 YouTube channels, including six Pakistan-based channels, claiming that they were “spreading disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations, and public order”, according to a report by India TV.
“YouTube channels based in Pakistan were found to have been used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various subjects such as the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and India’s foreign relations in the light of the situation in Ukraine, etc.,” reads an official statement. “The content of these channels was observed to be completely false, and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, and India’s friendly relations with foreign states.”
On Monday, several Indian news websites reported that India had withheld the Twitter account of Radio Pakistan too. Radio Pakistan later released a statement expressing alarm over the blocking of its Twitter handle in India.
“The social media handle of Pakistan’s state broadcaster has been withheld mainly for highlighting grave human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” said Radio Pakistan.
Spokesperson Chaudhry Zameer Ashraf added that the state broadcaster “always upholds objectivity in its news stories, strictly abiding by international journalistic norms”.
Diminishing space for plurality of voices & access to info in #India is extremely alarming. SM platforms must abide by applicable int’l norms; we are urging @Twitter to restore immediate access to our accounts & ensure adherence to democratic freedoms of speech & expression.
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) June 27, 2022
The Foreign Office has urged Twitter to restore immediate access to the accounts of Pakistani diplomatic missions and ensure adherence to democratic freedoms of speech and expression.
