YouTube Threatens To Close Dozens Of Canals Of Criticism Of Pakistan Government, Including Owned By Imran Khan

Former Pakistani prime minister who is currently in prison, Imran Khan. (photo: x @ImranKhanPTI)

JAKARTA The Alphabet video-sharing platform (GOOGL.O) has sent notices to more than two dozen content creators in Pakistan known as government critics. They were warned that their canal could be blocked in Pakistan following a court order that judged them to be spreading "anti-state content".

According to a copy of an order obtained by Reuters dated June 24, the threatened canals were blocked covering canals belonging to Pakistan's main opposition party Tereek-e-Insaf (PTI), as well as those of its leader, the former prime minister who is currently imprisoned, Imran Khan. A number of journalists who vocally criticize the government are also on the list.

A master's court in Islamabad stated that the ban was filed based on a report from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) released on June 2. The report states that the canals are spreading content that is "very intimidating, provocative, and demeaning Pakistani state institutions and officials".

YouTube sent emails to 27 channel owners, notifying that if they do not comply with court orders, then their channel can be lowered without further notice. If you fail to comply with it, according to our local legal obligations, we can process this request without further notice, wrote YouTube in a message to content creators, according to documents seen by Reuters.

Neither the YouTube regional communications manager nor the Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar have yet to provide a response.

One of the affected content creators, Asad Toor, who has more than 333,000 subscribers on YouTube, criticized the move. "It's not about me. It's about the people who are on the side who are oppressed by the state," he said. "I have dedicated my platform to marginal groups that have no other place to voice injustice."

After the government cracked down on conventional media, many independent journalists moved to YouTube as the only space to speak freely. Among them are commentators who support Imran Khan, who was ousted from office in 2022.

"This is not just a matter of journalists being fired or being blocked by a YouTube channel. It's about the truth that is not allowed to be disclosed and human rights violations that are trying to be hidden from the world," said PTI spokesman Zulfikar Bukhari.

Imran Khan has repeatedly accused his party of systematic suppression of military-backed parties, accusations denied by the Pakistani military. "In the digital era like now, you can't silence digital media," said Bukhari.

This move is part of a wave of Islamabad's government policies that are considered to be increasingly limiting freedom of expression. The government has blocked social media platforms such as X (Twitter), Facebook, and TikTok on several occasions.

In January 2025, Pakistan's parliament passed amendments to the Electronic Crime Act that tightened surveillance of digital content. This amendment also creates new authorities to regulate social media under the authority of separate investigations and courts. Violators can be subject to imprisonment of up to three years and a maximum fine of two million rupees (around Rp117 million) if they spread information deemed "fake or misleading".

A similar policy has also been implemented in neighboring India, which in recent years has blocked dozens of YouTube channels for national security reasons.

Digital rights activist Usama Khilji called the court process in Pakistan legally flawed. "The most surprising is the lack of a proper legal process," he said.

Toor admitted that he was never given the opportunity to defend the charges by courts or cyber institutions. He plans to take legal steps against the order. "This is the act of the dictator. But they will not be able to silence me," he stressed