New Delhi: India on Monday (June 27, 2022) banned several official accounts of Pakistan embassies on Twitter for allegedly spreading fake news. Official accounts of Pakistani embassy in United Nations, Turkey, Iran and Egypt have been blocked by Twitter in India. The account of Radio Pakistan – the national public broadcaster in Pakistan – has also been blocked on the microblogging site.
When opening these accounts an error message is displayed, “Account has been blocked in India in response to a legal requisition.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry has expressed that it is “seriously concerned” that India has blocked the “flow of information” on Indian Twitter by blocking access to these official accounts.
in depth about #India The flow of information to Indians has been blocked @Twitter By blocking access to the following official accounts
@PakinIran
@PakinTurkey
@PakinEgypt
@PakistanUN_NY,These are in addition to many others to which access has been blocked. — Spokesperson MOFA (@ForeignOfficePk) June 27, 2022
Earlier in April, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Blocked sixteen YouTube-based news channels, including six from Pakistan,
“It was observed that these channels were used to spread fake news on social media on matters relating to national security, India’s foreign relations, communal harmony and public order in the country. No digital news publisher has reported to the ministry. Required under Rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021,” an official statement said.
“YouTube channels based in Pakistan were used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various topics such as India’s foreign relations in light of the situation in the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ukraine. The material was considered completely incorrect and sensitive from the point of view of national security, sovereignty and integrity of India and India’s friendly relations with foreign states.”
It said, “The Government of India is committed to ensuring a secure information environment in India across print, television and online media.”