India has recently taken sweeping action against the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), issuing executive orders to block over 8,000 accounts within its borders and temporarily withholding high-profile state media handles. The Friday Times’ official X account is among the Pakistani media handles blocked under this order.
This move, part of a broader digital crackdown amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, follows earlier efforts to regulate online content under the Information Technology Act. Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times reported that these directives were served with the threat of substantial fines and imprisonment for local X employees, marking a significant escalation in India’s approach to content moderation.
A Broader Crackdown on Pakistani Digital Presence
In addition to actions on X, India has continued to expand its ban on Pakistani digital content. The list of Pakistani YouTube channels blocked in India has grown significantly, now including leading news and entertainment platforms as well as high-profile individuals from Pakistan's media and entertainment industry.
News and media channels blocked include:
Naya Daur TV, Samaa Sports, Samaa TV, Dawn News, ARY News, Geo News, Bol News, SUNO News HD, GNN, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Uzair Cricket, Raazi Nama, Irshad Bhatti, and Muneeb Farooq.
Global Times Report: List of 8,000 Accounts
The Global Times, China’s state-owned tabloid, reported that New Delhi had formally submitted a list of more than 8,000 X accounts to be blocked, demanding compliance under threat of “significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees”. According to that report, the affected accounts included international news organisations, prominent public figures, and a range of Pakistani political and media voices accused of disseminating destabilising narratives during the recent standoff with Pakistan.
Global Times underscored the breadth of the block list, suggesting it reflected India’s strategy to counter cross-border information flows deemed harmful to its national security interests. The tabloid noted that in many cases, the government did not specify the exact content violations, leading X to challenge the lack of transparency and evidence supporting the blanket account blocks to curb “fake news”, “anti-India propaganda”, and “foreign interference” via digital platforms.