In the latest swipe at Islamabad, India has blocked access to Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s X (formerly Twitter) account within the country.If someone in India tries to access his account, they will see a message stating: “@KhawajaMAsif has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”This move comes just days after the Indian government blocked the official X handle of the Pakistani government and
banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading “false, provocative and communally sensitive content”.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADAll of this is unfolding at a time when tensions between the two neighbours are running dangerously high.The relationship took a nosedive after the horrific terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead. In response, India suspended the
Indus Waters Treaty and issued an advisory asking Pakistani nationals to leave the country.More from Explainers
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Cross-border tensions at the Line of Control (LoC) has become a daily affair.In the middle of this tense standoff, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif added fuel to the fire with a series of controversial statements and startling admissions. Here’s what he said.India ‘staged’ the Pahalgam terror attack, claims AsifPakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has been at the centre of controversy with a series of explosive comments.In an interview with Sky News, Asif shockingly claimed that India had “staged” the Pahalgam terror attack. He alleged that the incident—which killed 26 innocent civilians—was orchestrated by New Delhi to create “crisis in the region, particularly for Pakistan”.Editor’s Picks1Has the Indian Army’s readiness against Pakistan been leaked on social media? Here’s the truth2Pahalgam attack: Terror-washing by Western media has to stopBut that wasn’t all.In the same interview, Asif attempted to whitewash Pakistan’s history with terror outfits. He denied any present links to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group behind several major attacks in India, and claimed he had not heard of its offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF), which has openly claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam killings.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADAsif shockingly claimed that India had “staged” the Pahalgam terror attack to create “a crisis in the region, particularly for Pakistan”. AP“Lashkar is an old name. It does not exist…Our government has condemned it (Pahalgam attack) categorically. Pakistan has been the victim of terrorism for decades,” he said.He further distanced the Pakistani state from terror groups, saying, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades…and the West, including Britain.”However, he was quick to point out that it was a “mistake” and Pakistan suffered for that. “If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later on, following the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan would have an unimpeachable track record,” the minister said.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADHis confession, unsurprisingly, sparked outrage in India.At the United Nations, India cited Pakistan’s defence minister’s comments and said they expose the country as a “rogue state” fuelling global terrorism and destabilising the region.“The whole world has heard the Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitting and confessing Pakistan’s history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations in a recent television interview…The world can no longer turn a blind eye,” India’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Yojna Patel, said.Military action by India ‘imminent’In another interview, this time with Reuters, Asif turned his attention to India’s possible response to the Pahalgam massacre.He claimed that an Indian “incursion was imminent” and that Pakistan had already reinforced its military along the border. “We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation, some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” he told the news agency.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADThe Pakistani defence minister then said that Islamabad was on “high alert and that it would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if there is a direct threat to our existence”.Indian army soldiers patrol along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan. Tensions have increased between the two countries in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Representational Image/APEarlier, in a conversation with Geo News, the minister dialled up the rhetoric even further, suggesting that a war with India could break out within two to three days, warning of an “immediate threat”.However, later he appeared to backtrack, explaining that he did not predict a war within three days but merely stressed that the next three to four days would be crucial.His remarks have added fuel to an already volatile situation, especially given that they come in the backdrop of frequent ceasefire violations at the LoC, the diplomatic downgrading of ties, and an ongoing war of narratives playing out on social media.India bans Pak YouTube channels, blames handles for spreading misinformationIn the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, the government blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating “false, provocative and communally sensitive content” about India.The YouTube channels blocked include Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News and Razi Naama.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIndia has also firmly objected to the British Broadcasting Corporation’s
(BBC) reportage on the Pahalgam attack, which termed terrorists as militants. The Ministry of External Affairs said it will be monitoring the organisation’s reporting going ahead.The government has also accused pro-Pakistani handles of pushing a deliberate misinformation campaign in India. Earlier,
a false narrative related to the Indian Army was circulating on social media. The false post cited a “confidential document” that alleged serious lapses in the Indian Army’s defence preparedness against Pakistan. This was later debunked by the government’s PIB fact-check handle.With input from agenciesTagsIndiaKashmirPakistanEnd of Article
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Why Pakistan’s defence minister’s X account has been withheld in India
