The social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has suspended the account of Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in India, following a formal request from the Indian government.
The action was taken in response to the dissemination of disinformation and false narratives via Asif’s official account, as well as a recent on-camera admission by Asif that Pakistan has supported terror groups targeting India at the behest of Western powers.
X confirmed the account suspension through an official update, noting that it acted in compliance with Indian government directives. According to reports, the decision was part of a broader crackdown on accounts and content seen as promoting misinformation and extremist narratives.
In addition to Asif’s account, several X accounts belonging to Pakistani journalists allegedly linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency have also been suspended. These individuals are believed to have been involved in spreading misleading content aimed at destabilising India.
The latest measures come in the wake of a broader Indian crackdown on digital propaganda. On Monday, the Indian government announced the blocking of 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative, communally sensitive content and misinformation targeting India, its armed forces, and security agencies.
Collectively, these YouTube channels had amassed a following of over 63 million subscribers.
Also Read: Pak govt's X handle blocked in India after Pahalgam attack
The crackdown follows a viral video clip from last week in which Khawaja Asif openly admitted Pakistan’s involvement in supporting terrorism. In an interview with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, Asif was asked whether Pakistan had a history of backing, training, and funding terror organisations. Asif responded:
"We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades... and the West, including Britain... That was a mistake, and we suffered for that... If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later the war after 9/11, Pakistan's track record was unimpeachable."
This candid admission, which has since gone viral, highlighted Pakistan’s long-standing engagement in sponsoring militant groups.
In the aftermath of the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, India has taken a series of firm diplomatic and security measures. These include:
- Closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari.
- Suspension of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals, granting them 40 hours to leave India.
- Reduction in the number of diplomatic personnel in the High Commissions of both countries.
- Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a bilateral agreement signed in 1960, in response to the attack.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation, vowed that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack and their collaborators would face consequences beyond imagination.
He emphasised that the time had come to eradicate the last bastions of terrorism and declared that the resolve of 140 crore Indians would crush the backbone of those who threaten the country’s peace and security.
Also Read: Pak nationals leave India as medical visa deadline ends
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