Pakistan has expressed concern over India’s act of blocking access to the Twitter accounts of several Pakistani diplomatic missions.
The Foreign Office (FO) said on Twitter on Monday that it was ‘deeply concerning’ that India had blocked certain Pakistani government Twitter accounts.
“Deeply concerning that India has blocked flow of information to Indian Twitter by withholding access to following official accounts,” the tweet read.
The blocked accounts include the official handles run by Pakistan’s missions in Iran, Turkiye, Egypt, and the United Nations.
Diminishing space for plurality of voices & access to info in #India is extremely alarming. SM platforms must abide by applicable int’l norms; we are urging @Twitter to restore immediate access to our accounts & ensure adherence to democratic freedoms of speech & expression.
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) June 27, 2022
The FO further said that the diminishing space for plurality of voices and access to information in India is extremely alarming, adding, “Social media platforms must abide by applicable international norms.”
The office said that they have urged Twitter to restore access to their accounts, ensuring adherence to democratic freedoms of speech & expression.
Previously on Monday, it was reported that the official Twitter handle for Radio Pakistan had also been withheld by Indian news outlets.
Previously, the Indian Ministry of Broadcast and Information had blocked 16 YouTube channels, six of which were Pakistan-based. The ministry said the channels spread 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. They also had not furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021, the government said, as per a report by India Today.
