As India intensified its counter-attacks against Pakistan late night on May 7, the Government of Pakistan, acting at the behest of the army, declared a state of emergency and imposed strict media censorship across the country. The government through an official order has imposed a ban on the publication of news reports.
The government issued stringent orders prohibiting any coverage of Indian counter-attacks by the Pakistani media. This directive was repeatedly circulated through the official social media channels of the Government of Pakistan. The censorship was enforced simultaneously with India’s counter-offensive in response to Pakistani attacks targeting Indian residential areas and civilians.
In a joint advisory issued by the Government of Pakistan and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, the public and the media were instructed to “trust only the verified updates and official communications issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).” The advisory also cautioned citizens to “be responsible and think before you share.”
With the ISPR now in full control of the media narrative, a complete blackout has been imposed on independent reporting since Thursday evening. No new content has been uploaded apart from official press releases.
Following the enforcement of these orders, Pakistani media outlets fell completely silent on the ongoing counter-attacks. No reports, either confirming or refuting Indian media reports, were published regarding Indian strikes on Pakistani territory. Even though some high-profile politicians, including the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, confirmed on X the presence of Indian drones in Lahore, such news was conspicuously absent from the Pakistani media.
Notably, no major Pakistani news websites have been updated since 7:00 PM on Thursday. The limited content available is restricted to official statements issued by the army and government, which have denied reports of Pakistani forces attacking Indian territory. Beyond these statements, no independent media reports have been published on Pakistani news portals.
Amid massive Indian military strikes across various regions in Pakistan, communication networks and power supplies have reportedly been disrupted. Pakistani media YouTube channels such as Geo TV and Samaa TV are airing pre-recorded content under the guise of live telecasts.
Pakistan has already banned Indian media outlets and their websites, preventing Pakistani nationals from accessing news reports from India. Two weeks ago, the Government of India banned 16 YouTube channels of Pakistan, including that of several media houses such as Dawn, Samaa TV, ARY News, Geo News, Razi Naama, GNN and Irshad Bhatti, in the wake of the Pakistan’s brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
