On December 20, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, issued two orders banning two websites and twenty YouTube channels that were feeding propaganda content on the behest of Pakistan. As per the December 21 press release about the order, these websites and channels were part of Pakistan’s coordinated disinformation campaign against India.
It read, “The channels were used to post divisive content in a coordinated manner on topics like Kashmir, Indian Army, minority communities in India, Ram Mandir, General Bipin Rawat etc.”
The press release specifically mentioned The Naya Pakistan Group (NPG) that is being operated from Pakistan. The network has YouTube channels that have a combined subscriber base of over 35 lakh and 55 crore views. Notably, some of these channels were operated by the news anchors of Pakistani news channels. Some of the websites in the blocked list were standalone channels.
OpIndia scrolled through the content that resulted in a ban on these channels and websites. Here is what we found.
The first channel on the list was ‘The Punch Line’. The channel had over one lakh subscribers and had collected over two crore views over time. The majority of the content available on this channel had fake information about Kashmir, the Government of India, the Indian Army and more.
The videos with titles “20 Indian Army Generals Neutralized In TrainingCenter Of Kashmir Targeted By Kashmir Mujaheddin”, “Imran Khan Zindabad !! Kashmir Louds As Kashmiri People Got Major Victory Over Indian Army”, and “14 KM Long Tunnel Of Indian Army Targeted By Kashmir Mujahedin” was listed by the Government of India as the reason of the ban. The content and the YouTube channel are not only banned by the Indian Government, but it appears that the channel itself has been deleted from YouTube.
The second channel blocked by the Govt of India is International Web News. It is a Khalistani propaganda channel that mainly publishes pro-Khalistani and anti-India content by twisting the facts. The channel has multiple videos about Referendum 2020 that is being organized by the terrorist organization Sikhs For Justice. What is more interesting about the channel is that though it publish propaganda news about India, the anchor speaks fluent Urdu with Pakistani dialect.
The channel was mainly blocked for the content linked to Khalistan, but when we checked the channel’s videos, we found out that it has a wide range of content that is extremely problematic. It claims minorities are being killed in India on a daily basis by Hindu organizations. In a video, the channel claimed that India is the largest exporter of cow meat which is incorrect. India exports buffalo meat only, because cow slaughter and the export of cow meat is banned in India. It also propagated in a video that Pakistan is the “safest place for minorities”, irrespective of the fact that Hindu and other minorities in Pakistan face atrocities in the hands of the majority every day.
The next channel on the list was Khalsa TV. It was a propaganda YouTube channel linked to Khalistani terrorist organization Sikhs For Justice and had content mainly associated with the Khalistani movement. Interestingly, the title used by this channel was often used by Pakistani news channels like Geo TV. For example, the GOI mentioned a video titled Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) scores first win in a defamation case which is the exact title used by Geo TV in the news. It is noteworthy that the news which was being propagated as some win of the terrorist organization SFJ was merely an order by the court that the case they had filed would be heard.
The Naked Truth was the next channel in the list that propagated content mainly linked to Kashmir. The anti-India content on this channel made it possible for them to gain over 4.5 lakh subscribers and over 8.89 crore views. The channel could not be spotted on YouTube anymore.
The next channel was News24, and as the name was strikingly similar to a news channel in India, it was much easier for Pakistan’s propaganda network to spread fake news. The content was mainly anti-India propaganda with disinformation about Kashmir, India-China relationships, the Indian Army and more. The channel has apparently been removed from YouTube and was not accessible.
48 News that had over 2.40 crore views by the time GOI ordered to block it mainly published anti-India content. The fake news on the channel included bizarre reports like “Turkish Army Enters In New Dehli” and more. The same title was used in a report by Naya Global PK, another propaganda YouTube channel being run by Pakistan.
The next channel was named Fictional. As it is a common word, the channel became widely popular and gained over four crore views as per the press release. The titles of the videos included “Joe Biden Imposed Sanctions On Modi As RSS Destroyed Christian Schools” and more. The channel was no longer found on YouTube.
The next channel was one of the biggest propaganda channels that go by the name Historical Facts. It had factually incorrect and fake information about India. The channel, unlike its name, had nothing to do with History in any way. It used the name to lure viewers into watching the propaganda content and gained over 9 lakh subscribers and 16 crore views. Titles like “Indian Soldiers Recited Kalima After Caught up By Kashmiri Mujahidin” were among the list of videos that led to its ban in India.
Other channels in the list included Punjab Viral, Cover Story, Go Global, eCommerce and more that published anti-India content.
The next channel on the list was Naya Pakistan Global. It was among the most popular channels on the list, with over 7 lakh subscribers and nine crore views. The channel has been renamed Naya Pakistan International. The description of the channel reads, “Naya Pakistan International (NPI) is a YouTube channel of NPG Media Network. It covers Current Affairs With Main Focus On South Asia and the Middle East.” The channel is not accessible in India but does exist on YouTube.
Then comes the list of Pakistani news anchors, influencers and reports who were part of the propaganda network. They used their personal channels to spread anti-India propaganda and published fake news regularly.
One of them was Junaid Haleem Official. Though the channel was no longer visible on YouTube, it is noteworthy that Junaid Haleem is one of the leading anchors in Pakistan. His videos on other channels gain thousands of views. Propaganda videos with titles like “Countries Take Big Action Against Modi | Joe Biden” were among the reasons that led to the ban of his channel.
Similarly, channels by Tayyab Hanif, Zain Ali Official, Mohsin Rajput Official, Kaneez Fatima, Sadaf Durrani, Mian Imran Ahmad and Najam Ul Hassan Bajwa gained crores of views while spreading fake propaganda about India. The majority of these channels have been removed from YouTube.
