• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

The Indian government on Wednesday restricted China's state-run X handle over publishing "unverified" claims on its military amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. However, the website is still accessible in India.

Global Times website

Credit: Global Times

The action came a week after India's Embassy in China rebuked the Chinese media outlet Global Times for reporting that Pakistan's military shot down an Indian fighter jet and advised to verify facts and sources before publishing such reports.

India's Embassy in China on Wednesday rebuked the Chinese media outlet Global Times for reporting that Pakistan's military shot down an Indian fighter jet and advised verifying facts and sources before publishing such reports.

India bans TRT World

Besides, the government has also banned TRT World, a Turkey-based media for backing Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor. The publication had also published multiple fabricated and unverified reports.

Why does India banned Global Times' X handle? 

The Chinese mouthpiece had reported fake news related to Pakistan’s Air Force shooting down five Indian fighter jets-- a claim debunked by the Indian officials multiple times.

This was followed by a Pakistani media outlet, which circulated unverified claims about Indian fighter jets being shot down. One of the most sensational reports came from Samaa TV, which claimed that Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale fighter jets were downed near Ahmedpur East in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

According to Samaa TV, citing unnamed “security sources,” Pakistan’s military shot down an Indian Rafale jet and another fighter aircraft. The report suggested rising hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and attempted to frame the alleged downing of the jets as a significant victory for Pakistan.

READ: US State Department Spokesperson Shuns Pakistani Journalist Claim That PM Modi Disrupted India-Pakistan Ceasefire

No Evidence, Just Propaganda: India Responds

India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB), through its official fact-checking handle, addressed the disinformation campaign.Dismissing the Pakistani media's assertions, the PIB pointed out that viral videos being used as “proof” were not only unrelated but also from an entirely different country and context.

“In a video shared by several pro-Pakistan handles, it is being falsely claimed that the Pakistan Air Force has targeted Srinagar airbase. The video shared is old and NOT from India. The video is from sectarian clashes that took place in the year 2024, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan,” PIB Fact Check stated.  

Other Social media posts falsely claim that Pakistan destroyed an Indian Brigade Headquarters. The PIB Fact Check team has also debunked these claims, confirming they are baseless and misleading.

ALSO READ: Pakistan Shot Down Indian Rafale Jet, Destroyed Brigade Headquarters? PIB Debunks Viral Claims