In a significant escalation of the ongoing diplomatic spat between India and Pakistan, the X account of Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has been ‘withheld’ in India, rendering it inaccessible to users within the country. The move, confirmed by sources in India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, comes in response to Asif’s controversial posts and statements following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists, and injured 17 others.
The decision to block Asif’s X handle was prompted by what Indian authorities describe as “inflammatory and misleading” content that could “incite violence and destabilize bilateral relations.” Posts from Asif’s account, particularly those denying Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack and alleging it was a “false flag” operation by India, drew sharp criticism from New Delhi. Indian officials also pointed to Asif’s recent claim of an “imminent” Indian military incursion, widely circulated on X, as a provocative attempt to escalate tensions. The Indian government, acting under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, requested X to withhold Asif’s account, citing national security concerns.
The Pahalgam attack, attributed by India to The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, has pushed India-Pakistan relations to a breaking point. India has responded with a series of punitive measures, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari-Wagah border, expelling Pakistani diplomats, and revoking visas for Pakistani nationals. Pakistan, in turn, has suspended the Shimla Agreement, banned Indian flights from its airspace, and accused India of fabricating the attack to justify military aggression.
Asif’s X activity has been under scrutiny since the attack, with Indian analysts and X users accusing him of spreading disinformation. His posts, which also criticized India’s military buildup along the Line of Control (LoC) and its labeling of Pakistan as a “rogue state” at the UN, were seen as fueling anti-India sentiment. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a blistering UN address on April 28, referenced Asif’s alleged admission of Pakistan’s terror links, further amplifying calls to curb his online presence.
The withholding of Asif’s account has sparked debate in India, with some praising it as a necessary step to counter Pakistan’s narrative, while others argue it risks stifling free speech. Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, cautioned that such actions could set a precedent for broader censorship, urging transparency in the decision-making process. Meanwhile, Pakistani officials condemned the move as “an assault on freedom of expression,” with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry vowing to raise the issue with X’s global leadership.
The broader context is dire. Pakistan’s violation of the LoC ceasefire for five consecutive nights, met with Indian retaliation, has heightened fears of a larger conflict. Asif’s warnings of a “full-spectrum response” to any Indian incursion, now inaccessible to Indian X users, continue to circulate globally, adding to the volatility. With diplomatic channels strained and international calls for restraint growing, the blocking of Asif’s account underscores the deepening rift between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
