Court orders blocking of 27 YouTube channels
Judicial magistrate Muhammad Abbas Shah, hearing a National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA)'s petition, ordered the blocking of 27 local YouTube channels.
According to the two-page written order, the enquiry officer of the police station Cyber Crime Circle Islamabad (CCCI), of the NCCIA has approached the court under Section 94 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), 1898 and stated that during the course of inquiry evidence regarding 27 YouTube channels it came on record the channels are involved in publicly disseminating/ propagating false, misleading and fake information against the state institutions/officials.
The order says that in the light of facts explained and evidence presented by the enquiry officer, this court is convinced that the subject matter constitutes offences punishable under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and Penal Laws of Pakistan.
The head/officer incharge of the security department/custodian of records to Google LLC, D/B/A YouTube 901 Cheery Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, USA, is therefore directed to block/remove the 27 channels.
The list of channels ordered to be blocked includes those operated byHaider Mehdi, Siddique Jaan, Sabee Kazmi, Orya Maqbool Jan, Arzoo Kazmi, Rana Uzair Speaks, Sajid Gondal, Habib Akram, Matiullah Jan MJtv, Asad Toor Uncensored, Imran Riaz Khan,Sabir Shakir, Imran Khan, Aftab Iqbal, Abdul Qadir, Wajahat Saeed Khan, Ahmad Noorani Youtube, Nazar Chohan Youtube, Moeed Pirzada Youtube, Makhdoom Shahabud Din, and Shayan Ali.
The court also ordered blocking of channel namely, Charsadda Journalist, Naya Pakistan, Daily Qudrat, Real Entertainment TV, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and Naila Pakistani Reaction.
The petition field by the NCCIA is conducting an inquiry with the approval of the competent authority regarding Youtube channels who are involved in disseminating and propagating fake and misleading information against the state institutions which is 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.
It says that the said YouTube channels are found involved in sharing highly intimidating, provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of state of Pakistan. The said YouTube channels are a source of publicly disseminating/propagating false, misleading and fake information against the state institutions/officials. Through these channels, the accused attempted to provoke the general public and armed forces personnel by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the state, it says.
It says that during the enquiry it came on the record that these YouTube channels are involved in publicly disseminating/propagating false, misleading and fake information against the state institutions/officials, it says.
The subpoena/warrant may kindly be issued to 'Google LLC, D/B/A YouTube 901 Cheery Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066 USA' for removal/blocking of the 27 channels, the court's order says.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Police arrest 149, including 48 Chinese, in scam call centre raid
Police have arrested 149 people — including 71 foreigners, mostly Chinese — in a raid on a scam call centre, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Thursday. 'During the raid, a large call centre was uncovered, which was involved in Ponzi schemes and investment fraud. Through this fraudulent network, the public was being deceived and vast sums of money were being illegally collected,' the agency said in a statement. New phishing scam targeting businesses on Facebook uncovered The NCCIA said it was acting on a tip-off about the network, operating in Faisalabad, a manufacturing centre of the country. It said that the raid was carried out at the residence of Tasheen Awan, the former head of the city's power grid. All those arrested were in custody, including 78 Pakistanis and 48 Chinese, as well as citizens from Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Myanmar. Some 18 of the 149 were women, it added.
Business Recorder
12 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Court dismisses plea against Arif Alvi
LAHORE: A city court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking registration of a criminal case against former president Arif Alvi. The court observed that matters related to social media fall under the jurisdiction of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency and advised the petitioner to approach the appropriate forum. The petitioner, Shehzada Adnan, alleged that Arif Alvi used blasphemous language in a video circulating on social media. He said that despite filing a complaint with the police, no FIR was registered against the respondent. The court while dismissing the petition observed that at this stage the matter did not warrant judicial intervention. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
PPF expresses alarm over ban on 27 YouTube channels
KARACHI: The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) expressed alarm over an Islamabad court's order to block 27 YouTube channels, which are operated by journalists, commentators, and political voices on allegations of spreading 'provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of state of Pakistan'. PPF urged the court to reconsider such a mass blanket ban. We urge the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and relevant authorities to respect due process and constitutional guarantees when handling digital content. PPF notes with alarm that the process of blocking these channels was initiated without giving the affected individuals the right to respond, raising concerns about transparency, due process, and the chilling effect on freedom of expression online. PPF reiterates that while the state may have need to address disinformation, any such action must be transparent, proportional, and respectful of fundamental rights. The unilateral silencing of critical voices through opaque legal processes threatens the democratic values of accountability and freedom of expression. An order from the Court of the Judicial Magistrate NCCIA Islamabad in response to an enquiry dated June 2, 2025, listed the names of 27 YouTube channels. These included channels operated by prominent journalists such as Matiullah Jan, Asad Ali Toor, and Ahmad Noorani; political commentators like Imran Riaz Khan, Siddique Jan, and Sabir Shakir; the official channel of the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and its founder, Imran Khan; as well as several others. The written order stated that the content on these channels constitutes offences punishable under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act and other penal laws of Pakistan. It directed the Head or Officer In-Charge of the Security Department / Custodian of Records at Google LLC to block and remove the specified YouTube channels. According to news channel, an NCCIA sub-inspector had informed the judicial magistrate in Islamabad that under PECA, they were conducting an enquiry into 'YouTube channels who are involved in disseminating and propagating fake and misleading information against the state Institutions which is 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.' He said that they were found sharing 'highly intimidating, provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of state of Pakistan,' a 'source of publicly disseminating/propagating false, misleading and fake information against the state institutions/officials.' He said the suspects had 'attempted to provoke the general public and armed forces personnel by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the state,' the channel reported. YouTube has begun notifying affected channel owners. A notice sent to journalist Asad Toor stated: 'We have received a legal removal request citing the court order dated 24 June 2025 in Enquiry No. 717/2025, seeking blocking of your channel [… ] A copy of the court order is attached for your reference. You may choose to act on the said content in terms of the aforesaid court order. If you fail to do so, as per our local law obligations, we may comply with the request without further notice to you.' The Press Association of the Supreme Court of Pakistan strongly condemned the move, describing it as a violation of constitutional rights. The Association stated that journalists were denied a fair hearing and described the order as a form of 'economic strangulation.' The statement called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take immediate notice. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said they were greatly concerned by the court directive, which they said came following a complaint by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).'The wholesale blocking of entire channels—rather than addressing specific instances of unlawful or hateful speech in accordance with due process—conflates dissent with criminal activity,' HRCP said. The FIA issued a statement that news reports that the judicial magistrate's order to the FIA to close the YouTube channels was 'completely baseless and inaccurate,' adding that the NCCIA was now fully operational and the court order was issued on NCCIA's request. Currently, most of the YouTube channels remain accessible in Pakistan. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
