Pakistan has voiced alarm about India’s shutdown of Pakistani embassy Twitter accounts in multiple locations.
“Deeply concerned that India has prevented the flow of information to Indian Twitter by restricting access to the following official accounts,” the Foreign Office wrote on Twitter, adding that Pakistan’s missions in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and the United Nations are responsible for the blocked accounts.
According to India Today, the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had previously prohibited 16 YouTube news channels, including six Pakistan-based stations, because they were “promoting falsehoods concerning India’s national security, international relations, and public order.”
Previously, Twitter had also restricted the accounts of Indian and international journalists who are critical of the Modi government.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Twitter limitation on Monday night, describing the shrinking space for a variety of voices and access to information in India as “very worrying.”
It emphasized that social media platforms must adhere to appropriate international standards.
In a subsequent tweet, the FO requested Twitter to promptly restore access to the Pakistan missions’ accounts and uphold democratic free speech.
Radio Pakistan’s account is likewise disabled
It was discovered later in the day that India had also blocked Radio Pakistan’s Twitter account.
“The social media handle […] has been blocked primarily for highlighting terrible human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” according to a report by the state television.
Concerned by the development, Radio Pakistan Spokesperson Chaudhry Zameer Ashraf stated that the broadcaster adhered to international journalistic standards and maintained objectivity in its news reports.
