Islamabad court lifts ban on five more YouTube channels

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Sessions Court has suspended the ban on five more YouTube channels, taking the number of temporarily unblocked channels to seven.

The decision came during the hearing of appeals filed against the court’s order directing the blocking of 27 YouTube channels.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka heard the case.

A day earlier, the court had also suspended orders to block two channels. Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah issued the original order to block the 27 channels.

In response to the appeals, the court issued a notice to the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency, seeking a detailed response by July 21.

The case is pending as the court is reviewing the legality of the initial blocking order.

On July 09, 2025, a local court in Islamabad ordered the blocking of 27 prominent YouTube channels on charges of spreading anti-state content, following a petition filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah conducted the hearing and issued a two-page written order directing YouTube to block the identified channels.

The court reviewed the FIA’s petition, which was based on an inquiry initiated on June 2 regarding content harmful to national security.

As per the court order, the investigating officer was heard in detail, the available evidence was carefully examined.

The judge concluded that the content in question is likely to constitute an offence punishable under the Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

“In light of the evidence, the court is of the view that this case involves criminal activity punishable under the relevant provisions of the PECA and PPC,” the order said.

As a result, the court directed the relevant YouTube authorities to take immediate steps to block the 27 channels named in the FIA inquiry.