Sherry Rehman's X account blocked in India

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator and former federal minister Sherry Rehman's X (formerly Twitter) has been blocked in India as hostilities between the two nations rise despite a ceasefire last week.

Without presenting any evidence of involvement in the Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi, on May 6, Delhi had waged an unprovoked war against Islamabad.

In order to ensure its sovereignty, Pakistan was left with little option but to retaliate and bring the aggressor to its senses. In doing so, it also shocked the world by taking down six Indian fighter jets including three Rafael, an S-400 missile defense system, and hacking core installments.

The ex-federal minister said being blocked on social media platform X at the request of the Indian government is “a badge of honour,” declaring that India has changed “existentially.”

The senator made the comments after receiving an official notification from X, informing her that her account had been withheld in India following a legal removal request from the Indian government under its Information Technology Act, 2000.

Not only Rehman, but India has also blocked access to X accounts of former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

In her statement posted publicly on X, Rehman sharply criticised the Narendra Modi-led government, calling it the “Hindutva Republic” and said: “Communication is key for stable, mature states — but to be blocked by the #HindutvaRepublic is a badge of honour.”

She added that “there is little to say to people who question the existence of Pakistan.”

Still, she stressed the importance of continued dialogue between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, saying: “Sane people should still continue talking to each other in both countries to not erase history as well as options of normal coexistence for the future.”

Rehman noted that voices in India advocating for peace and coexistence have “shrunk drastically” and remain “undisclosed for fear of serial abuse over there.” She also reiterated that “there are no military solutions to Kashmir, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), and a host of bilateral issues that undermine the peace of a nuclearised region.”

“Modi’s India needs to get over this fact,” she concluded, referencing the recent conflict by saying, “#2025war proved that.”

According to the official communication from X shared by Rehman, the platform received a formal legal request from the Government of India claiming that her posts violated Indian law. While the content remains visible outside India, X has withheld it within the country in compliance with Indian regulations. The company also reiterated its commitment to informing users when content removal requests are received from official authorities.

Meanwhile, popular Pakistani music has been abruptly removed from the popular streaming platform Spotify in India, sparking concern and disappointment among music lovers. 

The Indian government also ordered the blocking of social media accounts of some Chinese state media — China’s official state news agency Xinhua, and a tabloid, the Global Times — earlier this week. Turkey’s TRTWorld was also blocked. 

Independent news site The Wire, and Indian news platform, was also blocked inside India.

The social media platform X said it had received executive orders to block over 8,000 accounts in India, including the Free Press Kashmir and The Kashmiriyat and Maktoob Media, which focuses on human rights and minorities.

In late April, the government also blocked one Indian and 19 Pakistani YouTube channels, one journalist was assaulted and two political commentators and satirists face legal action over their coverage of the Kashmir attack.