Islamabad court restrict 27 You Tube channels for "anti-state" content

On Tuesday, an Islamabad court blocked 27 You Tube channels for allegedly airing anti-state videos and propagating “false, misleading and fake” information.

A petition from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) led a local court in Islamabad to order the blocking of 27 well-known YouTube channels for allegedly spreading material against the government.

Reports indicate that Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah led the meeting and sent YouTube a two-page letter instructing them to block the named channels.

Court’s Ruling on FIA Request: A National Security Overview

The court examined the FIA’s request, which stemmed from a probe initiated on June 2 into information deemed potentially hazardous to national security.

The court order stated that the investigating officer had to be thoroughly questioned and that all the evidence had to be carefully reviewed.

The judge concluded that the content in question might be illegal under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

“Given the evidence, the court believes that the case involves criminal activity that is punishable by PECA and relevant parts of the PPC,” the order said.

As a result, the court instructed YouTube’s relevant officials to block the 27 You Tube channels named in the FIA’s investigation immediately.

FIA gives more information

There was false information in the media that recent court orders to shut down You Tube channels were given by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The FIA has strongly denied this.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has been officially established and is now fully operational, according to the statement.

No longer does the FIA handle any investigations or court cases connected to cybercrime; only the NCCIA does.

The FIA spokesperson said, “The news going around that a judge has ordered the FIA to shut down 27 Pakistani YouTube channels is completely false and comes from misinformation.”

The clarification makes it clear that the court orders in question were issued at the request of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), and the FIA is not named in the court orders.

“It’s important to know that the FIA and the NCCIA are two separate organizations.” It is no longer the FIA’s job to investigate cybercrime and related legal issues, the spokesperson said.

The FIA advised the public and the media to refrain from spreading unverified news and to verify any information they shared with relevant official bodies before airing or posting it.

PTA’s Bold Move: Blocking Anti-Pakistan Propaganda Online

In May 2025, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked 32 websites, 16 YouTube news feeds, and 31 YouTube video links as a significant way to stop the spread of anti-Pakistan propaganda.

The PTA states that this action was taken due to material that attempted to disseminate false and harmful information about the country.

In its statement, PTA said that this choice was made to protect national security and Pakistan’s internet ecosystem.

It was discovered that YouTube and other websites that blocked material had posted harmful and false stories intended to influence people’s minds and harm national unity.

In a statement, the PTA said, “The goal of this content was to affect public opinion and hurt national cohesion negatively.”

The authority emphasised that these steps are essential to safeguard the safety and integrity of Pakistan’s digital environment and prevent the dissemination of content that could cause discord.