Case Update Status

On July 12, an Islamabad district and sessions court suspended an earlier order issued by a judicial magistrate to block 27 YouTube channels, granting relief to multiple petitioners, including journalists and content creators. [https://pakistanpressfoundation.org/court-suspends-order-to-block-27-youtube-channels-grants-relief-to-more-petitioners/] On July 11, an Islamabad sessions court suspended a judicial magistrate’s order that directed the blocking of 27 YouTube channels run by journalists and commentators, following revision petitions filed by two of the affected individuals. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka issued the suspension while hearing appeals filed by journalists Matiullah Jan and Asad Ali Toor, whose channels were among those blocked earlier this month. [https://pakistanpressfoundation.org/islamabad-court-suspends-ban-on-27-youtube-channels-during-hearing-of-petitions-by-journalists/] On September 11, an Islamabad district and sessions court, led by Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka overturned a previous lower court’s decision to block 11 YouTube channels. This decision came after the channels, run by journalists and social media influencers both within Pakistan and abroad, were accused of broadcasting “fake, misleading, and defamatory” content against the government and armed forces. [https://pakistanpressfoundation.org/islamabad-court-overturns-ban-on-11-youtube-channels-amid-legal-dispute/] "

Summary of Case

An order from the Court of the Judicial Magistrate NCCIA Islamabad in response to an enquiry dated June 2, 2025, listed the names of 27 YouTube channels. These included channels operated by prominent journalists such as Matiullah Jan, Asad Ali Toor, an d Ahmad Noorani; political commentators like Imran Riaz Khan, Siddique Jan, and Sabir Shakir; the official channel of the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and its founder, Imran Khan; as well as several others. The written order stated that the content on these channels constitutes offences punishable under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act and other penal laws of Pakistan. It directed the Head or Officer In-Charge of the Security Department / Custodian of Records at Google LLC to block and remove the specified YouTube channels. According to Dawn, an NCCIA sub-inspector had informed the judicial magistrate in Islamabad that under PECA, they were conducting an enquiry into “YouTube channels who are involved in disseminating and propagating fake and misleading information against the state Institutions which is likely to cause fear, panic, disorder or unrest in the general public or society along with defamatory and fake remarks/information, which violates the privacy and harms the dignity of the officials of state institutions.” He said that they were found sharing “highly intimidating, provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of state of Pakistan,” a “source of publicly disseminating/propagating false, misleading and fake information against the state institutions/officials.” He said the suspects had “attempted to provoke the general public and armed forces personnel by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the state,” Dawn reported. YouTube has begun notifying affected channel owners. A notice sent to journalist Asad Toor stated: “We have received a legal removal request citing the court order dated 24 June 2025 in Enquiry No. 717/2025, seeking blocking of your channel [… ] A copy of the court order is attached for your reference. You may choose to act on the said content in terms of the aforesaid court order. If you fail to do so, as per our local law obligations, we may comply with the request without further notice to you.” The Press Association of the Supreme Court of Pakistan strongly condemned the move, describing it as a violation of constitutional rights. The Association stated that journalists were denied a fair hearing and described the order as a form of “economic strangulation.” The statement called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take immediate notice. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said they were greatly concerned by the court directive, which they said came following a complaint by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).“The wholesale blocking of entire channels—rather than addressing specific instances of unlawful or hateful speech in accordance with due process—conflates dissent with criminal activity,” HRCP said. The FIA issued a statement that news reports that the judicial magistrate’s order to the FIA to close the YouTube channels was “completely baseless and inaccurate,” adding that the NCCIA was now fully operational and the court order was issued on NCCIA’s request. Currently, most of the YouTube channels remain accessible in Pakistan.

Category of Incident

Censorship

ICCS Status

ICCS Divisions: 08031

ICCS Group: 08031

ICCS Class: 08031

ICCS Crime: Censorship

Reported By

Dawn

Date of incident

24

Month

June

Year

2025

Name of affected person

Asad Ali Toor

Other affected persons

Maitullah Jan, Ahmad Noorani; political commentators like Imran Riaz Khan, Siddique Jan, and Sabir Shakir; the official channel of the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and its founder, Imran Khan; as well as several others.

Name of affected organization

YouTube

Other affected organizations

N/A

Action by

Islamabad Court

City

Countrywide

Province

Countrywide

Designation

Freelancers

Professional category

Journalists

Age of victim

N/A

Marital Status

Compensation Details

Amount of compensation announced by government: No compensation was announced

Date of compensation announcement by government: No compensation was announced

Date of compensation paid by government: No compensation was announced

Amount of compensation announced by others: No compensation was announced

Date of compensation announced by others: No compensation was announced

Date compensation paid by others: No compensation was announced

FIR Details

Was FIR registered ?: No

Court Details

Was case investigated ?: Yes

Court where case was presented: Islamabad sessions court

Name of prosecuting lawyer: N/A

Date of first court hearing: 11/06/2025

Date of last court hearing: 12/06/2025

Status of court case: Order overturned by court.

Journalist Union Status

PFUJ

No version was recorded

APNS

No version was recorded

CPNE

No version was recorded

PBA

No version was recorded

Media Source Status

Media reports:

Condemn Status

Colleague of victim

No version was recorded

Employer organization

No version was recorded

Press Club Status

Press club 1: N/A

Press club 2: N/A

Press club 3: N/A