India Blocks TRT World’s X Account Over Growing Disinformation Concerns

In a continued effort to combat misinformation and propaganda against India, the X account of Turkish news broadcaster TRT World, withheld in India, as observed on Wednesday.

The account now displays the message, “Account Withheld. @trtworld has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”

TRT World has faced criticism for promoting anti-India narratives, coinciding with rising tensions between India and Turkey.

The decision to block the Turkish broadcaster’s account follows calls to boycott Turkish products after the revelation that Pakistan used Turkish-origin drones, such as the Asisguard Songar, in its attack on Indian civilian and military infrastructure.

This attack coincided with India’s Operation Sindoor, a military response targeting nine key terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April.

Turkey’s open support for Pakistan in the wake of these tensions has fuelled the emergence of a widespread ‘Ban Turkey’ movement across India.

The action against TRT World follows the earlier suspension of the Chinese media outlet Global Times’ X account in India.

This reflects India’s firm stance on addressing foreign media outlets that spread misinformation.

On 8 May, the Indian government issued executive orders to X, directing the platform to block over 8,000 accounts in India.

The orders warned of significant penalties, including hefty fines and potential imprisonment of X’s local employees if not complied with.

Among those targeted were international news organisations and prominent users.

Earlier in May, India’s Embassy in China rebuked ‘Global Times’ for falsely claiming that Pakistan had shot down an Indian fighter jet.

In response, the embassy urged the outlet to verify its facts before sharing such disinformation.

Rejection Of Pakistan’s Misinformation Campaign

India has firmly rejected Pakistan’s misinformation campaign, which falsely reported the destruction of vital Indian military assets.

PM Modi, during a visit to the Adampur Airbase, stated, “Despite Pakistan’s many efforts, our airbases, or our other defence infrastructure, have not been harmed. And the credit for this goes to all of you, and I am proud of all of you, every soldier deployed on the border, every person associated with this operation deserves credit for this.”

In addition, India previously imposed a ban on 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading provocative and misleading content.

The Ministry of Home Affairs recommended these actions in the aftermath of the tragic Pahalgam terror attack.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have led to the suspension of accounts belonging to notable Pakistani figures, including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Also Read: India Withholds Access To Chinese State-Run Outlet ‘Global Times’ On X; Cites Legal Request