Afghan snub to Islamabad, India bans 16 Pak YouTube channels

The irony of Taliban criticising terror attacks may be stark, but Afghanistan acting foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi’s strong condemnation of the Pahalgam killings is a further setback to Pakistan, reflecting the international isolation it is facing. The Taliban leader’s statement in a meeting with a senior Indian diplomat in Kabul on Monday is evidence of how far misplaced Pakistan’s hopes of regaining “strategic depth” after the return of Taliban have been.

The meeting and the official statement by the Afghanistan foreign ministry mark solidarity with India and reflect the poor state of Kabul-Islamabad ties. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan categorically condemns the recent attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of J&K, and expresses condolences to the bereaved families,” said Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi had said.

The Afghan minister’s statement is in keeping with diplomatic support India has received since the April 22 attacks from most world capitals. Except for China, no country has bought Pakistan’s “offer” to participate in an impartial probe. Neither Malaysia or Turkey, two nations that have been critical of India on Jammu and Kashmir, have expressed support for  Pakistan.

Meanwhile the government has banned 16 Pakistan Youtube channels for spreading misinformation about India and its armed forces. These include Dawn News, SAMA TV, ARY News, Bol News, Geo News, GNN, Asma Shirazi and SUNO News. The decisions follow a high level appraisal of the channels and their content on social media and internet.

The Indian community continues to organize itself in several countries in solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam strikes and to condemn Pakistan’s support for terrorism. There were demonstrations in Canada, Bhutan, Australia, Spain and Mexico among other nations in the past couple of days.

Addressing the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, chief minister Omar Abdullah was emotional in regretting the loss of lives. “I did not know how to apologise to the families of the deceased… Being the host, it was my duty to send the tourists back safely. I couldn’t do it. I do not have the words to seek an apology,” he said, adding that he would not speak of statehood for J&K.

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