Facebook blocks Radio Pakistan over IOK posts


The Express Tribune

Zulfiqar Baig

A popular social networking site has blocked live news streaming by Pakistan’s national broadcaster over posts about Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) which has been under siege since August 5, 2019 after the Narendra Modi government unconstitutionally stripped the disputed region of its special status.

Radio Pakistan accused Facebook of blocking live news bulletins by the Pakistan Broadcast Corporation (PBC) over its social media activity on “continued atrocities, curfew and military lockdown” in IOK. In a statement, the national broadcaster showed screenshots of Facebook’s messages on some of the posts that it said went against standards on “dangerous individuals and organisations”.

According to officials, Facebook informed Radio Pakistan on Sunday of suspending its live news streaming for two months and with a warning that if the PBC did not abide by the social media giant’s policy, the provision of posting and commenting on the popular site would be withdrawn for good. Radio Pakistan announced it has made temporary alternate arrangements on video-sharing site YouTube to continue the live streaming of its news bulletins. The move came weeks after popular microblogging site Twitter reportedly suspended hundreds of accounts operated by Pakistani users that posted content criticising human rights abuses in IOK. 

The accounts were reported to Twitter by India alleging that they were sharing “propaganda through false videos and images which claim to portray the current situation” in IOK. At the time, Pakistani officials blamed the Indian staff at Twitter’s regional headquarters for the move while announcing to take up the case with the social media giant.



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