'Factual reporting has no place in India': Islamabad on Pakistan TV Digital ban

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday criticized India's decision to block access to Pakistan TV Digital's X and YouTube accounts, with the Foreign Office saying the move reflected New Delhi's intolerance of independent journalism.

Responding to a question from Pakistan TV Digital during the Foreign Office's weekly press briefing, spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the decision was "entirely in keeping with" what he described as India's established pattern of suppressing information.

"Factual reporting has no place in the captive ecosystem prevailing in India," Andrabi said.

He said India's "frequent lapse into escapism exposes India's deep intolerance for independent voices and its increasing reliance on repressive and restrictive measures as instruments of state policy."

The spokesperson also urged the international community and representative media organizations to take note of India's curbs on the media and the shrinking space for press freedom.

India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting earlier directed X to withhold Pakistan TV Digital's account in India under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, according to a notice issued by the social media platform. Pakistan TV Digital has also received notification from YouTube that its official channel has been blocked for users in India.

Launched as Pakistan's international digital news platform in September 2025, Pakistan TV Digital produces English-language news, documentaries, explainers, podcasts and special reports for audiences in Pakistan and abroad. Its coverage spans regional and global affairs, diplomacy, security, business, climate, technology and human-interest stories, with original reporting from major national and international developments.

Editor-in-Chief Saqib Tanveer said the platform would continue its journalistic mission despite the restrictions.

"We don't just report on India; we report on every other part of the world as any news organization would do," Tanveer said.

"No matter how undemocratic this ban is, we will continue to expose tyrannical regimes, especially the Indian tyrannical regime, before the world," he added.