Pakistan’s information and broadcasting minister Attaullah Tarar‘s X (formerly Twitter) account was withheld in India, amid escalating cross-border tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack. Tarar’s profile now shows the message: “@TararAttaullah has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”
This move comes just days after Tarar had accused India of planning imminent military action. On Tuesday, he had claimed Pakistan had “credible intelligence” of an Indian strike within 24 to 36 hours and criticised what he called India’s “hubristic role of judge, jury and executioner.”
Just a couple of days before Tarar’s account was withheld, Pakistan defence minister Khwaja Asif’s account faced a similar block in India. Asif had earlier after admitted in an interview that Pakistan had historically supported and trained terrorist groups, calling it a “mistake” done on behalf of the US and Western allies.
India has also banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels accused of spreading provocative and misleading content in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. Collectively, these channels had over 63 million subscribers.
The border situation between the two-nuclear armed neighbours has worsened significantly since the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 people dead, most of them tourists.
Since then, Pakistani troops have engaged in nightly exchanges of small arms fire across multiple sectors along the Line of Control (LoC), including Kupwara, Uri, Akhnoor, and Naushera, with Indian Army responding proportionately. Officials say the firing was unprovoked, violating the 2003 ceasefire agreement reaffirmed in 2021.
India responded to the Pahalgam attack by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and closing its airspace to Pakistani aircraft. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was issued to restrict Pakistani-operated or -registered aircraft from entering Indian airspace until at least May 23. Diplomatic ties have also been strained further with the closure of the Wagah border, the suspension of trade, and a reduction in the number of diplomatic officers on both sides.
