Pakistan court blocks 27 YouTube channels for spreading 'false, misleading' information

Among the 27 channels are those of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, journalists Matiuallah Jan, Wajahat Khan, Ahmad Noorani and Asad Ali Toor; former anchors Imran Riaz, Orya Maqbool, Sabir Shakir, and Moeed Pirzada, it said.

Islamabad: A Pakistan court has blocked at least 27 YouTube channels, including those of Imran Khan's party, for allegedly airing anti-state content and spreading “false, misleading and fake” information, according to a media report on Tuesday.

The Islamabad-based magisterial court took the action on Jun 24 on the complaint of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which is empowered to probe illegal activities on social media, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Among the 27 channels are those of the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf), journalists Matiuallah Jan, Wajahat Khan, Ahmad Noorani and Asad Ali Toor; former anchors Imran Riaz, Orya Maqbool, Sabir Shakir, and Moeed Pirzada, it said.

Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Abbas Shah’s in his order, said, "In the light of facts explained and evidence presented by the IO, this court is convinced that the subject matter constitutes offences punishable under the Peca and penal laws of Pakistan.”

He ordered the “head officer in charge of the security department/custodian of records” to Google to block/remove the 27 YouTube channels.

Earlier, Sub-Inspector Waseem Khan of the NCCIA’s Cyber Crime Circle informed the Islamabad judicial magistrate on June 24 that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, the department was conducting an inquiry against 27 YouTube channels.

These channels, he said, are "involved in disseminating and propagating fake and misleading information against the state Institutions which is likely to cause fear, panic, disorder or unrest in the general public or society along with defamatory and fake remarks/information, which violates the privacy and harms the dignity of the officials of state institutions”.

Khan said the YouTube channels were “found involved in sharing highly intimidating, provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of the state of Pakistan” and were a “source of publicly disseminating/propagating false, misleading and fake information against the state institutions/officials”.

He said that through their channels, the suspects had “attempted to provoke the general public and armed forces personnel by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the state”.

Khan requested the court to issue a warrant/subpoena to Google to remove/block the 27 YouTube channels. The media in Pakistan has come under increasing scrutiny. Authorities on March 20 arrested Farhan Mallick, the founder of media agency Raftar and a former news director at Samaa TV, for alleged anti-state content on his YouTube channel. He was granted bail in April.

However, his arrest sparked criticism against the authorities for trying to gag social media.