Pakistan

India bans Pakistan-based Vidly TV for exposing Hindutva extremism

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

India says “Vidly TV” blocked for airing web series against national security and integrity.
Action taken for airing “Sevak: The Confessions.”
Web series shows events like Babri Mosque demolition in Ayodhya.

ISLAMABAD: New Delhi has banned Pakistan-based Vidly TV’s over-the-top (OTT) platform, apps and social media accounts in India as it has been streaming historical events, the plight of minorities under growing Hindutva menace and gaining popularity among the Indian population.

The Indian government said it had blocked Vidly TV in the country for airing a web series against India’s national “security and integrity.”

India’s ministry of information and broadcasting has also slapped a ban on the platform’s website, two mobile apps, and four social media accounts by issuing an order under its emergency powers of IT Rules 2021.

An Indian ministry official told the media that the government’s action against Pakistan-based Vidly TV followed the web series “Sevak: The Confessions.”

The OTT channel’s web series showed events like Babri Mosque demolition in Ayodhya, Operation Blue Star, Malegaon blast, and Samjhauta Express blast among others.

India bans mostly Chinese apps

This is not the first time that New Delhi has banned apps of another country in India.

In June 2020, India blocked access to 59, mostly Chinese, mobile apps including Bytedance’s TikTok, Alibaba’s UC Browser, and Tencent’s WeChat citing security concerns.

The apps are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”, the ministry of information technology had said back then.

The ban came after a deadly border conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

In February of this year, India blocked access to 54 more mobile apps, mainly Chinese but also including Singapore-based Sea Ltd’s “Free Fire” mobile game, over security concerns.

Since the start of political tension with China in 2020 following a border clash, India’s ban list, which initially had 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, had expanded to cover 321 apps.

India believes user data was being sent via the apps to servers in China, one of the government sources, who sought anonymity in line with policy, told Reuters.

Such collection would allow the data to be mined, collated, analysed and profiled, potentially by “elements hostile to the sovereignty and integrity of India and for activities detrimental to national security,” the source said.

Latest News

Lahore, PP-161: LHC deems the ECP recounting order null and invalid

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Farrukh Javed, the victorious candidate, filed a petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s order to recount the votes in PP-161 before a single bench of the high court, led by Justice Shahid Karim, was formed.

The bench dismissed the ECP’s order to recount the votes in the constituency and accepted the petition.

The PML-N candidate Umar Sohail filed a petition for a vote recount with the electoral commission, according to Unmute Farrukh Javed MPA’s court plea.

Per the petitioner, the electoral commission issued a notice of vote recount after granting the second-place candidate’s request.

In his view, the election process was not yet over when the ECP issued the order for a vote recount.

The ECP’s order for the recounting of ballots in provincial constituency PP-161 was revoked by the bench after it allowed the petition.

Latest News

The LHC has issued a summons regarding the policy on wheat procurement.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

The court was considering a petition filed by the Punjab farmers challenging the province government’s decision to decline purchasing wheat from them.

The petitioner alleged that the government is legally obligated to procure wheat from farmers at the designated price and had publicised a policy to purchase wheat from farmers at Rs 3,900 per maund. However, the government has failed to put this policy into effect.

The Punjab government was scheduled to commence the procurement of wheat from farmers on April 22. However, there has been no progress thus far in the wheat purchase, thereby exposing farmers to the risk of selling their harvests at reduced prices as a result of rainfall.

The petitioner implored the court to mandate the government’s procurement of wheat from farmers and to initiate measures against the mafia.

Punjab farmers have filed a petition with the Lahore High Court (LHC) to challenge the government’s decision to not purchase their wheat.

Following an initial hearing on the case, Justice Shahid Karim, the judge of the LHC, requested a documentation of the Punjab government’s choices pertaining to wheat purchase.

Punjab’s farmers are currently protesting the government’s decision to postpone the purchase of wheat from them.

Yesterday, insiders from the Food Department disclosed that the Punjab government has not yet made a decision regarding the procurement of wheat.

Latest News

Lahore experiences a winter-like ambiance following rainfall.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Lahore’s maximum temperature has significantly decreased due to recent rainfall in the province capital over the past 24 hours.

Jail Road saw a rainfall of 8.5 millimeters, Gulberg received 10 millimeters, and Lakshmi Chowk received 14 millimeters of rainfall. In addition, Upper Mall received a rainfall measurement of 5 millimeters, Mughalpura received 3.5 millimeters, and Tajpura received 3 millimeters.

In addition, Nishtar Town received a rainfall of 1 millimeter, Pani Wala Talab received 12 millimeters, Farukh Abad received 4 millimeters, Gulshan Ravi received 20 millimeters, Iqbal Town received 6 millimeters, Samanabad received 8 millimeters, and Johar Town received 1 millimeter.

The city’s electricity transmission infrastructure has been significantly affected by the rain, resulting in the tripping of over 100 Lesco feeders. Multiple localities had power outages as a result of tripped feeders and other technical malfunctions.

Power outages have resulted in substantial discomfort for people in several localities, including as Manawan, Batapur, Sabzazar, Gulshan Ravi, Samanabad, Pir Nasir, Mughalpura, Shalimar, Mustafa Abad, Baghbanpura, Ferozpur Road, Islampura, Qila Gujjar Singh, and Walton Road.