Pahalgam Terror Attack: Pakistan Minister Ataullah Tarar’s X account has been blocked in India as part of a crackdown on celebrities and politicians of the neighbouring country following the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
This comes days after Tarar, who is Pakistan’s Information and Broadcasting Minister, claimed that Islamabad had “credible intelligence” that New Delhi may carry out a military strike on the neighbouring country within 24 to 36 hours.
A screenshot of Tarar’s X account showed a message that it was withheld in India in response to a legal demand. The profile picture and the cover image of the Pakistan minister’s X account are also not visible.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tarar, in a late-night press conference, claimed that Pakistan had received “credible intelligence”, indicating that India may carry out a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours. He even warned New Delhi of the consequences if any action is taken against Islamabad.
The statement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told the top defence brass that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack, media reports claimed, citing sources.
“Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours using the Pahalgam incident as a false pretext,” he claimed.
Tarar said the Indian government is preparing to carry out military action against Pakistan based on “baseless and concocted allegations” regarding the country’s involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack.
According to the statement, the minister said Pakistan had itself been a victim of terrorism and had always condemned it in all its forms and manifestations. He further stated that Islamabad had offered a “credible, transparent and independent” probe by a neutral commission of experts. He accused India of evading investigation and choosing a confrontational path.
Tensions have escalated between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack last week that claimed the lives of at least 26 people, mostly tourists. In the wake of the heinous attack by the neighbouring country, the PM Modi-led Central government has banned X accounts of various Pakistani celebrities, actors and cricketers.
On the recommendation of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India on Monday banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content and false and misleading information against the country, the Army and the security agencies, news agency ANI reported, citing government sources.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official YouTube channel was banned in India. When searching for his account, it displays an error message on YouTube.
The message reads, “This content is unavailable in the country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order. For more details about government removal requests, please visit the Google Transparency Report.”
Earlier, following the ban of YouTube handles, the Instagram handles of the current as well as former Pakistan cricketers have also been withheld in India on Friday.
The list of players whose social media handles were withheld in the country included Babar Azam, Mohammed Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, and many more. Earlier, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Basit Ali, and Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channels were also banned in India following the terror attack.
