India has blocked the YouTube channel of Pakistan’s Express News, intensifying its ongoing media restrictions following the Pahalgam incident coverage.
Earlier on Monday, Indian authorities had already restricted access to several major Pakistani YouTube channels — including news channels and the channels of individual journalists.
The sites were blocked in India, with a message reading it was due to an “order from the government related to national security or public order”.
However, Express News’ YouTube channel was blocked separately on Tuesday, making it the latest addition to the block list.
Critics say the move reflects growing intolerance for independent reporting in India, despite its claims of being the world’s largest democracy.
Access to the banned channels, including Express News, remains possible for Indian viewers through VPN services.
Pahalgam attack and diplomatic aftermath
The ban follows the deadly April 22 shooting that targeted tourists in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Twenty-six men were killed in the attack, the worst on civilians in the contested region for a quarter of a century.
Immediately after the attack, India put the blame on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any role in the attack while calling for an independent inquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, the BBC’s coverage of the Kashmir terror attack last week has also come under criticism from the Indian government, which has formally written to its operations head, sources familiar with the situation told RT.
