Pakistan YouTube channels face India ban after Pahalgam terror attack
YouTube
channels based in
Pakistan
were banned for Indian audiences on Monday as tensions flared between the two nation in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terrorist attack last week.
Ministry of Home Affairs
issued a list of 16 YouTube channels to be banned in India, ANI reported, including those run by major news channels of the neighbouring country.
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The list of 16 banned channels included those operated by Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Geo News and more. As per the list shared by ANI, these channels have over 63 million subscribers.
The ban was imposed on recommendations by Ministry of Home Affairs for "disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India, its Army and security agencies in the backdrop of the tragic Pahalgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir", the news agency said.
— ANI (@ANI)
Apart from the 16 YouTube channels mentioned in the list, several others from Pakistan were also inaccessible in India, including those by The Pakistan Experience podcast, cricket analyst Wasay Habib, and journalists Syed Muzammil and Arzoo Kazmi.
The crackdown on YouTube channels comes as India and Pakistan are on loggerheads again in the wake of a terrorist attack in Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. Attackers killed 26 tourists in Baisaran Valley in what has been called the deadliest incident since the 208 Mumbai attacks.
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With tensions rising India has suspended the Indus Water Treaty, closed borders, cancelled visas for certain Pakistani nationals in the country and expelled diplomats from the neighbouring nation. Pakistan, on the other hand, has cancelled the Simla Agreement, closed trade with India and restricted airspace for flights from India.
Armies of both nations have been engaged in multiple instances of cross-border firing since tensions escalated.
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Since the ECI does not oversee elections to state-level urban bodies like municipalities and panchayats, there is a separate State Election Commission. • The Constitution has the following articles (Articles 324–329) to empower the Election Commission and provide insight into the potential roles and functions of the commission. • Article 324: The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and the Legislature of every state and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President. • Article 325: No individual to be excluded from electoral rolls on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them. • Article 326: Adult suffrage shall be the basis for elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States. • Article 327: Parliament may, according to the provisions of this Constitution, from time to time enact laws with respect to all matters relating to elections to Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of States. • Article 328: A state's Legislature may from time to time by law make provision with respect to all matters relating to, or in connection with, the elections to the House or either House of the Legislature. • Article 329: The article prohibits the courts from becoming involved in electoral matters. 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(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 3 only Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance, History Mains Examination: General Studies-II: India and its neighbourhood- relations What's the ongoing story: Varinder Bhatia writes- 'In the history of Tibet and Indo-China relationship, April 26, 1959, was a turning point. Having fled his homeland following China's invasion, the Dalai Lama met Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who declared that the spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists 'should be allowed to live in peace' in India.' Key Points to Ponder: • Who is the Dalai Lama? The Dalai Lama is considered the spiritual head of which Tibetan Buddhist school? • Tibetan Buddhist school evolved from which traditions of Buddhism? • What is the history of Tibet and Indo-China relationship? • Which agreement in 1951 formally brought Tibet under Chinese sovereignty, leading to tensions that resulted in the Dalai Lama's exile? • What are the implications of China's role in the selection of the next Dalai Lama for India-Tibet relations and regional geopolitics? • What are the geopolitical and diplomatic consequences of India granting asylum to the Dalai Lama in 1959? • How did granting asylum to the Dalai Lama shape Indo-China relations? • Read about the 1962 Sino-Indian war. • What was the Panchsheel Treaty? • Map work: Khenzimane Pass in Arunachal Pradesh Key Takeaways: • 'On Wednesday, the Dalai Lama, who turns 90 on July 6, reiterated that the institution would continue and only his Gaden Phodrang Foundation would have the authority to recognise the reincarnation, ending uncertainty on whether he will have a successor or not after his death.' • The Dalai Lama, who is the 14th to hold the title, made the announcement from Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, where all those decades ago he set up the Tibetan government-in-exile. At the time, following his arrival in the country, Nehru had told the public that the Tibetan spiritual leader 'had to undertake a very big and difficult journey' before meeting him. • 'The journey up to that point was long and arduous. Following China's occupation of Tibet and the violent repression that followed, the Dalai Lama and several other Tibetans left for India. The Dalai Lama, his family members, bodyguards, and fellow Tibetans were received by Indian border guards at the Khenzimane Pass in Arunachal Pradesh on March 31, 1959. On April 2, Indian government officials formally welcomed him at the Chutangmu outpost on April 2, 1959, and took him to the Tawang monastery. The following day, the Nehru government announced it had granted the Dalai Lama political asylum.' • 'The Dalai Lama eventually moved to Tezpur in Assam, where he released his first statement from Indian soil. On April 18, 1959, he criticised China for shelling the Norbulingka Palace, one of his residences in Lhasa, the month before. He expressed his deep gratitude to the Government of India and thanked the Indian public for their 'spontaneous and generous welcome'. In the same statement, the Dalai Lama mentioned he came to India 'of my own free will and not under duress'.' • 'For Nehru, too, it was not all smooth sailing when it came to granting the Dalai Lama asylum. The PM faced immense criticism, with many warning him of the consequences of 'antagonising China'.' • 'The day the Dalai Lama released the statement from Tezpur, China officially lodged its protest, accusing India of meddling in its internal affairs. Beijing insisted that the Dalai Lama 'be returned'. That laid the foundation of a future deterioration of Indo-China relations and eventually led to the 1962 Sino-Indian war.' • 'Nehru, however, cited 'moral and humanitarian' grounds to allow the Dalai Lama entry into India and also the decision to grant him political asylum.' • 'After Tezpur, the Dalai Lama lived in Mussoorie (now in Uttarakhand) for several months. In 1960, upon the invitation of the government, he moved to McLeodganj in Dharamshala and has been there since then, with the town becoming the centre for Tibetan cultural and political activities in exile.' Do You Know: • Despite effortless integration of cultures and communities, the Tibetan issue has always been a sensitive one for India, Tibet and China since the early 1950s. While then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru welcomed waves of embattled Tibetans and granted the Dalai Lama asylum in 1959, even in the face of immense criticism and fears of 'antagonising China', after the India-China war in 1962, Delhi has been cautious about its public pronouncements on the Dalai Lama. • Since then, the Indian government has adopted a more nuanced position. While maintaining that the Dalai Lama is a 'revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India' and that he has 'all the freedom to carry out his religious activities in India', Delhi doesn't officially support the Tibetan community's political activism in India. • More so now, when India and China are working towards normalising the bilateral relationship after a tense border standoff since 2020. On July 4, the Ministry of External Affairs released a carefully worded statement saying the government 'does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion. The Government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so.' • Panchsheel: The Panchsheel Agreement, formally known as The Agreement on Trade and Intercourse with Tibet Region, was signed on April 29, 1954, by N Raghavan, the Indian Ambassador to China, and Zhang Han-Fu, China's Foreign Minister. The preamble of the Panchsheel Treaty lay down five guiding principles: 1) Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty; 2) Mutual non-aggression; 3) Mutual non-interference; 4) Equality and mutual benefit; and 5) Peaceful co-existence. • The agreement aimed to enhance trade and cooperation between the two countries, establishing each country's trade centres in major cities of the other, and laid out a framework for trade. The agreement also listed important religious pilgrimages, provisions for pilgrims, and acceptable routes and passes available to them. Importantly, India for the first time recognised Tibet as the Tibet Region of China. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍India reaffirms religious neutrality after China objects to Dalai Lama remarks 📍Why the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday this week matters for Tibetans, and beyond UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (3) With reference to 'Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence', consider the following statements: 1. It is a foreign policy concept that was first articulated in an agreement betweem India and China in 1954. 2. The agreement aimed to enhance trade and cooperation between the two countries, listed important religious pilgrimages and India for the first time recognised Tibet as the Tibet Region of China. Which of the statements given above is/are are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 (4) 'Belt and Road Initiative' is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of (UPSC CSE 2016) (a) African Union (b) Brazil (c) European Union (d) China Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: 'China is using its economic relations and positive trade surplus as tools to develop potential military power status in Asia', In the light of this statement, discuss its impact on India as her neighbor. (UPSC CSE 2017) Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: World Geography Mains Examination: General Studies-I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclones. What's the ongoing story: Japan's government on Saturday warned of more possible strong earthquakes in waters southwest of its main islands, but urged the public not to believe unfounded manga comic-book predictions of a major disaster. Key Points to Ponder: • Read about the earthquakes. • How are earthquakes measured? • How movements of sections of the Earth's crust release the energy that we experience as earthquakes? • What are the most earthquake-prone zones of the world? (Thought process: Read about the circum-Pacific seismic belt, Alpide earthquake belt (mid Continental belt), and submerged mid-Atlantic Ridge.) • What are the effects of earthquakes? • What are the earthquake zones in India, and what measures have been taken by the government concerning the natural disaster? • Read about the Pacific Ring of Fire. Key Takeaways: • Authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicentre of a 5.5-magnitude quake off the tip of the southernmost main island of Kyushu. • That quake on Thursday, strong enough to make standing difficult, was one of more than 1,000 tremors in the islands of Kagoshima prefecture in the past two weeks that have fuelled rumours stemming from a comic book prediction that a major disaster would befall the country this month. Do You Know: • An earthquake is an intense shaking of the ground caused by movement under the earth's surface. It happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another, according to USGS. This releases stored-up 'elastic strain' energy in the form of seismic waves, which spreads through the earth and cause the shaking of the ground. • The earth's outermost surface, crust, is fragmented into tectonic plates. The edges of the plates are called plate boundaries, which are made up of faults. The tectonic plates constantly move at a slow pace, sliding past one another and bumping into each other. As the edges of the plates are quite rough, they get stuck with one another while the rest of the plate keeps moving. Earthquake occurs when the plate has moved far enough and the edges unstick on one of the faults. • The location below the earth's surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicentre. Why is Japan prone to earthquakes and tsunamis? • That's because of its location. Japan is situated along the 'Pacific Ring of Fire', which is the most active earthquake tectonic belt in the world. The 'ring' refers to 'an imaginary horseshoe-shaped zone that follows the rim of the Pacific Ocean, where many of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur,' according to a report by Live Science. • Within the Ring of Fire, there are different tectonic belts, including the Pacific Plate, Eurasian Plate, and Indo-Australian Plate, which keep meshing and colliding with each other, causing earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: Understanding the earthquake Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (5) Consider the following: (UPSC CSE 2013) 1. Electromagnetic radiation 2. Geothermal energy 3. Gravitational force 4. Plate movements 5. Rotation of the earth 6. Revolution of the earth Which of the above are responsible for bringing dynamic changes on the surface of the earth? (a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only (b) 1, 3, 5 and 6 only (c) 2, 4, 5 and 6 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora. What's the ongoing story: US President Donald Trump has signed the Congress-approved 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Act (OBBBA), which marks a sharp break from his predecessor Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that drove billions into clean energy investments – from solar and wind to electric vehicles (EVs). Instead, the OBBBA accelerates the phaseout of federal incentives for these clean technologies, slashes royalty rates for domestic fossil fuel drilling, and expands oil and gas leasing through new provisions. Key Points to Ponder: • What is the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Act (OBBBA)? • What are the key provisions of the OBBBA? • What are the concerns associated with OBBBA? • What might be the geopolitical implications of OBBBA on the global clean energy race? • What can be the long-term economic and environmental consequences of OBBBA? • Compare the energy strategies of the United States and China. Key Takeaways: • The US House of Representatives passed the bill on July 3 without altering the Senate-approved version received earlier this week. While the final text modestly tones down the House's more aggressive cuts in support for hydrogen production and batteries, it still rolls back key benefits for solar and wind energy, as well as for both commercial and passenger EVs. • Experts warn the legislation could drive up household energy bills over the next decade, slow the deployment of clean technologies on the US power grid, and – most importantly – cement China's dominance in the global clean energy race. • The oil and gas industry – long a key backer of Trump's presidential campaigns – welcomed the OBBBA's push to expand fossil fuel production. But critics argue that US shale remains costlier than renewables, and that leaning on fossil fuels to meet rising electricity demand is both economically and practically unviable. • The final OBBBA text, while broadly scaling back clean energy support, is still less severe than the House version originally sent to the Senate. It gives clean hydrogen projects until end-2027 to qualify for tax credits – two years more than earlier proposed – and retains incentives for carbon capture, nuclear power, and clean fuels. Energy storage systems tied to solar or wind can also access full investment benefits through 2032, avoiding a sharper phaseout of benefits. • Across the Pacific, China has ramped up thermal power to meet rising industrial demand – but a steady pivot to clean technologies remains central to its energy strategy. For instance, in 2024, while it started construction to add around 100 GW of coal power capacity, it added a whopping 420 GW of solar and wind. In comparison, the US added less than 55 GW in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍This Word Means: Big, Beautiful Bill Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: General Studies- II, III: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian Economy, Effects of liberalisation on the economy What's the ongoing story: India's decision to reserve its rights to impose retaliatory duties on the US over imposition of tariffs on auto parts is a procedural move under the WTO agreement on safeguards and it will not affect ongoing negotiations on the proposed trade pact between the two countries, an official said. Key Points to Ponder: • Read about the World Trade Organisation (WTO). • What is the WTO Agreement on Safeguards? • What are 'retaliatory tariffs'? • How does India's decision to reserve retaliatory duties against the US reflect the mechanism under the Agreement on Safeguards? • What is the role of multilateral trade institutions like the WTO in addressing protectionist policies of major economies? • Analyse the effectiveness of the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism in ensuring fair trade practices among member countries. • What is the history of India-US relations? • What are the areas of cooperation between India and the US? • What are the key developments in India-US relations in the various sectors? • What are the challenges and opportunities in finalising a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between India and the US? Key Takeaways: • India on Friday proposed imposing retaliatory duties under the WTO (World Trade Organisation) norms against the US over American tariffs on imports of the country's auto parts in the name of safeguard measures. • The proposed suspension of concessions or other obligations would take the form of an increase in tariffs on selected products originating in the US, according to a notification of the WTO being circulated at the request of India. • The two countries have aimed to conclude the first phase of the BTA by fall (September-October) this year. The agreement is aimed at more than doubling bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 from the current USD 191 billion. • Both India and the US are signatories to the Agreement on Safeguard at the WTO which empowers a WTO Member to suspend its tariff concessions to another member who introduces safeguard measures on its imports. • On 26 March 2025, the US announced a 25 per cent ad valorem tariff on the import of automobiles and on certain automobile parts, including, from India under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, 1974. • 'India treated it as a safeguard measure and gave a notice for consultation under the WTO agreement earlier. Now, as per the provisions of that agreement, after completion of 30 days period for consultation, as a next step, India has notified that it is reserving its right to suspend concession on equivalent US exports to India as a response to enhanced tariff of 25 per cent imposed by the US on Indian exports of auto components,' the official said. Do You Know: From Front Page- 'Amid India deal impasse, Trump signs tariff letters for 12 nations' • With no word still on whether his administration will sign an interim trade deal with India before the reciprocal tariff pause runs out July 9, President Donald Trump has said the US has begun the process of informing countries about the reciprocal tariffs they must pay, and that he has already signed 12 letters scheduled to be dispatched Monday. • Trump, however, stated that the reciprocal tariffs would come into effect August 1, indicating a potential extended window for negotiations with countries, including possibly India, which have not struck a deal with the US before the July 9 deadline. The US had originally announced a 26 per cent reciprocal tariff on India. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | From Trump's reciprocal tariffs announcement to 90-day pause: Everything in between UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme: (6) Consider the following statements: 1. Tariffs are taxes or duties imposed by a government on imported goods and services. 2. Objective of tariffs is to make foreign products more expensive compared to domestically produced goods Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
Indian Express
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- Indian Express
Midnight's warrior: Salman Rushdie's literary battles on and off the page
Consciously or not, Salman Rushdie, celebrated for Midnight's Children (1981) and infamous for The Satanic Verses (1988), has consistently been a man at war. Whether battling censorship, religious extremism, or cultural hypocrisy, he has never hesitated to wield his pen like a sword. And, has paid a steep price for it: a fatwa that forced him into hiding, a lawsuit brought by a prime minister, and most recently, a knife to the eye in an assassination attempt. Over the years, the 78-year-old winner of the Booker of Bookers (1993) and the Best of the Booker (2008) has been involved in several feuds, be it with political regimes: Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini (1989) and former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, or fellow writers and literary critics: John Updike, Marathi Jnanpith laureate Bhalchandra Nemade or John Carrie. Here are some of the feuds drawn from his own pen, his Twitter account, and public record: While Indira Gandhi and Salman Rushdie never met, their cold war was relegated to literary history after the latter immortalised the former Prime Minister as 'the Widow' in Midnight's Children. She was painted as a menacing, witchlike figure with whose 'hair has a centre-parting it is green on the left and on the right black,' who imprisons and castrates the titular Children of Midnight. Gandhi was far from amused and brought a libel suit in 1984 over a line that accused her of neglecting her late husband, Feroze Gandhi, to the point of hastening his death. Rushdie defended his choices: 'Literature can and must give the lie to official facts.' In an interview, he laughed off Gandhi's outrage: 'You are having a quarrel with a fictional character, with a boy who has a nightmare about a widow when he's a child, and then feels that she comes to life … don't ask me, ask him.' He was satisfied that the label 'Widow' had entered popular usage: 'It's always very nice to give an insult to the English language.' While Gandhi's legal team demanded redress, Rushdie said, 'I felt that I should have sent her a thank-you telegram for having completed my novel for me,' he quipped, referring to Gandhi's decision to end the Emergency and call elections, which allowed him to conclude the novel as he wished. In 2006, John Updike opened his New Yorker review of Shalimar the Clown with a groan. 'Why, oh why, did Salman Rushdie, in his new novel, call one of his major characters Maximilian Ophuls?' The name, Updike was suggesting, made it difficult to disentangle the character from the historic German film director, Max Ophüls, and by using the name he had turned both the man and the character into a caricature. 'Why not? Somewhere in Las Vegas there's probably a male prostitute called John Updike,' responded Rushdie, in an interview with The Guardian. He went on to criticise Updike's novel Terrorist as 'beyond awful' and suggested the critic return to 'his parochial neighborhood and write about wife-swapping, because it's what he can do.' Perhaps his most enduring feud was the one with the British author John le Carré, best known for his espionage novels. It all started in 1997, when le Carré, writing to The Guardian, complained about accusations of anti-Semitism in his novel The Tailor of Panama (1996). Rushdie responded by saying that le Carré had shown little solidarity when Rushdie faced the fatwa following the publication of The Satanic Verses. From there, the exchange spiralled. Rushdie called le Carré 'a pompous ass,' and Le Carré retaliated by accusing Rushdie of 'self-canonisation.' Their very public war of words continued for weeks, through the pages of The Guardian. Two decades later, Rushdie extended an olive branch at a literature festival, saying: 'I wish we hadn't done it. I think of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as one of the great novels of postwar Britain.' Le Carré responded in kind, saying: 'If I met Salman tomorrow, I would warmly shake the hand of a brilliant fellow writer.' Thus the two British authors put the feud to bed. Grumpy old bastard. Just take your prize and say thank you nicely. I doubt you've even read the work you attack. — Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) February 6, 2015 In 2015, after Marathi novelist Bhalchandra Nemade won the Jnanpith Award, he said Salman Rushdie and VS Naipaul were 'pandering to the West' and declared that Rushdie had 'written nothing worthwhile since Midnight's Children.' Nemade was also in favour of eliminating English from Indian school curricula and dismissed the idea of Indian-English literature as inferior to vernacular writing. Rushdie took to Twitter to respond. Calling him a 'grumpy old' man, he wrote: 'Grumpy old … Just take your prize and say thank you nicely. I doubt you've even read the work you attack.' The same year, six writers—Peter Carey, Michael Ondaatje, Rachel Kushner, Teju Cole, Francine Prose, and Taiye Selasi—boycotted a PEN American Center gala honouring Charlie Hebdo, following the deadly terrorist attack on the magazine's staff. .@JohnTheLeftist @NickCohen4 The award will be given. PEN is holding firm. Just 6 pussies. Six Authors in Search of a bit of Character. — Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) April 27, 2015 Carey said the award 'went way beyond PEN's role of protecting writers against government oppression,' accusing the organisation of 'cultural arrogance.' Rushdie, a longtime champion of PEN and defender of free speech, responded with a misogynistic slur: 'Just 6 …… Six Authors in Search of a bit of Character,' he tweeted. He later said: 'These six writers have made themselves the fellow travellers of [fanatical Islam]. Very, very bad move.' Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
