The Pakistan Foreign Office expressed concern on Tuesday over India blocking Twitter accounts of Pakistani embassies in several locations.
“It is deeply concerning that India has blocked the flow of information to Indian Twitter by withholding access to the following official accounts,” the Foreign Office said on Twitter.
The statement further added that India has withheld access to the Twitter handles of Pakistan’s embassies in Iran, Turkey, Egypt and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar urged Twitter to immediately restore access to the Pakistan missions’ accounts and ensure adherence to democratic freedoms of speech and expression.
“Social media platforms must abide by the applicable international norms,” he added.
Separately, the Foreign Office on Monday confirmed that Pakistan’s participation in the High-level Dialogue on Global Development at the sidelines of BRICS, hosted by China, was blocked by one member.
The Foreign Office spokesperson issued a statement in response to media inquiries, noting that this year’s “High-level Dialogue on Global Development” was held as a BRICS side event in which a number of developing economies were invited.
“China, as the host country, consulted with Pakistan prior to the BRICS meetings, where decisions are taken after consultations with all BRICS members, including extending invitations to non-members,” the statement said.
According to India Today, the move came after the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting earlier blocked 16 YouTube news channels including six Pakistan-based channels, claiming they were “spreading disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations, and public order”.
Earlier, Twitter had also blocked accounts of certain journalists — Indian and international — who are critical of the Modi regime.
Condemning the restriction on Twitter, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted on Monday night that the diminishing space for plurality of voices and access to information in India was “extremely alarming”.
