A local court in Islamabad on Tuesday ordered the blocking of 27 prominent Pakistani YouTube channels, noting an enquiry officer had satisfied it that their content constitutes offenses punishable under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the penal laws of Pakistan.
In his order, issued on the request of the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah directed the officer in-charge of the Security Department to contact YouTube for the blocking/removal of the identified channels.
Channels banned
- Haider Mehdi
- Siddique Jan
- Sabee Kazmi
- Orya Maqbool Jan
- Arzoo Kazmi
- Rana Uzair Speaks
- Sajid Gondal
- Habib Akram
- Matiullah Jan, MJTV
- Asad Tood Uncensored
- Imran Riaz Khan
- Naya Pakistan
- Sabir Shakir
- Former Prime Minister Imran Khan
- Aftab Iqbal
- Real Entertainment TV
- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
- Daily Qudrat
- Abdul Qadir
- Charsadda Journalit
- Naila Pakistani Reaction
- Wajahat Saeed Khan YouTube
- Ahmad Noorani YouTube
- Nazar Chohan YouTube
- Moeed Pirzada YouTube
- Makhdoom Shahabud Din YouTube
- Shayan Ali
In a posting on X following the ban, journalist Toor shared an email from YouTube informing him of the court order. It said he could act on the content in terms of the order, warning failure to do so could result in YouTube complying with the request. In his post, he vowed to continue his journalism.
Earlier, the NCCIA had requested the removal of the aforementioned channels, alleging they were involved in disseminating and propagating “fake and misleading” information against state institutions, adding this was 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.
The permission for the blocking was sought under Section 37 of PECA, which deals with unlawful online content, while the order for the removal was granted under Section 94 of the Criminal Procedure Code.