Islamabad, July 11, 2025: Islamabad Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka on Friday suspended a lower court’s order that had banned 27 YouTube channels operated by several well-known Pakistani journalists and digital creators.
Deciding on a petition filed by the newly established National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Islamabad Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Abbas Shah had earlier ordered the blocking of these channels over alleged anti-state material, defamation, and dissemination of misleading content aimed at members of the judiciary.
Among the channels initially ordered to be blocked were high-profile names such as Asad Toor, Matiullah Jan, Imran Riaz, Moeed Pirzada, Sabir Shakir, and Aftab Iqbal.
Asad Toor, whose channel was among those restricted, confirmed on X (previously Twitter) that the blocking order had been suspended.
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The legal fight against the ban is being pursued by lawyers Riasat Ali Azad, Zainab Janjua, Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, and advocates Hadiali, Jamal, and Farrukh Jillani. Digital rights advocate Farieha Aziz is also engaged in the legal proceedings.
The NCCIA had initiated an investigation into the matter on June 2 with the consent of the relevant authority.
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Sub-Inspector Waseem Khan from the Cyber Crime Reporting Centre of NCCIA informed the local court on June 24 that the agency was probing several YouTube accounts suspected of circulating “false, defamatory, and fake” content against state bodies and their representatives.
In its ruling, the court stated that after reviewing the details and proof shared by the NCCIA investigation officer, the Judicial Magistrate of Islamabad Abbas Shah approved the request and issued a two-page written order granting permission to block the channels.
