Under the’s Information Technology Act, 2000, The Indian government has banned the Twitter accounts of several Pakistani diplomatic missions, journalists, and some prominent personalities. The Foreign Office of Pakistan issued a statement after the news of banned Pakistani Twitter accounts came to light, the statement reads; “Deeply concerning that #India has blocked the flow of information to Indian Twitter by withholding access to the official accounts of Pakistani Embassy in UN, Turkey, Iran, and Egypt.” The statement further added; “Diminishing space for plurality of voices & access to info in India is extremely alarming.”
Deeply concerning that #India has blocked flow of information to Indian @Twitter by withholding access to following official accounts??
?@PakinIran
?@PakinTurkey
?@PakinEgypt
?@PakistanUN_NY.These are in addition to many others for which access has been blocked.
— Spokesperson ?? MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) June 27, 2022
FO demands to unblock Pakistani Twitter accounts in India
The foreign ministry of Pakistan has urged Twitter to immediately restore access to the Pakistan missions’ accounts in order to ensure adherence to democratic freedom of speech and expression. Later in the day, it was revealed that the official Twitter handle of the national broadcaster, Radio Pakistan, was also banned by the Indian government. The Radio Pakistan Spokesperson, Chaudhry Zameer Ashraf, said that the broadcaster has strictly abided by the international journalistic norms.
The development of banning Pakistani Twitter accounts comes shortly after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India blocked multiple channels on YouTube, including 35 based in Pakistan, citing reasons for spreading misinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations, and public order.
Read more: Indian Government Blocks 35 Pakistan-based YouTube Channels
Pakistan urges G-7 summit to ask India to end the ban on Pakistani Twitter accounts
The permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, Munir Akram, has urged the G-7 summit in Germany to demand India lift the massive restrictions on information, including an end to the banned Pakistani Twitter accounts. He also added; “This suppression of information violates India’s obligations under ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and is yet another sign of the escalating fascism enveloping RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) ruled India.”
