Islamabad, Pakistan (CU)_ Pakistan raised alarm, after India banned access to Pakistani diplomatic missions in many locations. The Foreign Office Twitter post read, “Deeply concerning that India has blocked the flow of information to Indian Twitter by withholding access to following official accounts”. It further added that Pakistan’s missions in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and the United Nations managed and operated the accounts that were blocked in India.
According to latest media reports, the neighboring nation has also blocked the official Radio Pakistan Twitter account. The reports also claimed that the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has previously suspended 16 YouTube news channels, including six Pakistan-based channels, on the grounds that they were promoting falsehoods about India’s national security, international relations, and public order. Previously, Twitter had also suspended the accounts of some Indian and international journalists who are critical of the Modi government. It noted, “Social media platforms must abide by applicable international norms”.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Twitter limitation, indicating that the shrinking space for freedom of voice and access to information in India are highly worrying. In a subsequent tweet, the FO requested Twitter to instantly restore access to the Pakistan embassies’ accounts and uphold democratic freedom of speech and expression. It was discovered later in the day that the Twitter account of Radio Pakistan was also blocked by India.
According to the statement from the state broadcaster, “The social media handle […] has been withheld mainly for highlighting grave human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir”. Concerned by the development, Chaudhry Zameer Asharf, representative of the Radio Pakistan, stated that the channel adhered to international journalistic standards and maintained neutrality in its news reports.
