Islamabad: The social media giant, Twitter, in India, has withheld official accounts of Pakistan Embassy in Turkey, Egypt, Iran and in the United Nations. Earlier, their Twitter account of Radio Pakistan- national broadcaster in Pakistan was also banned by the company.Also Read – Journalist Rana Ayyub’s Twitter Account ‘Withheld’ In India. What it Means
Twitter blocks the account of Pakistani Embassy in UN.
Account of Pakistani Embassy in Turkey is also withheld by Twitter in India. After Twitter in India withheld these official accounts the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Twitter to restore these accounts with immediate access.
Moreover, Twitter in India also blocked account of Pakistani Embassy in Iran and Egypt. Twitter in India, earlier also blocked the account of Pakistani national radio broadcaster – Radio Pakistan. This development comes at a time when the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting earlier blocked 16 YouTube news channels including 6 Pakistan-based channels for spreading disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations, and public order.
According to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, YouTube channels were spreading false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony, and disturb public order in India.
The blocked social media accounts include six Pakistan-based and 10 India-based YouTube news channels, having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore.
None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021, the government said.
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 among others, it said.
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.
Moreover, India has earlier called out Pakistan for propagating fake news through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Pakistan is frequently lambasted by the global community due to its violation of human rights. The country also has unstable politics which is gripped by constant protests and demonstrations. And yet, as per the reports by digital forensics, Pakistan carries on with its propaganda to diminish India at world stage.
Apart from the government accounts in Pakistan, in a report by Digital Forensics, Research, and Analytics Center (DFRAC), it was revealed that many fake accounts created by Pakistanis are hiding behind the screens and running hashtags with an agenda to target India’s prestigious institutions.
These Pakistani accounts blatantly spread disinformation. The crucial thing to note here is that some of these accounts were created for the sole purpose of defaming India. After pushing the agenda they changed their username. All behind the screen who were fuelling this agenda campaign seemed to be copying each others’ content to escalate the fake narrative.
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