NA YouTube channel vanishes; opposition cries blackout, officials cite glitch
“The National Assembly’s official YouTube channel became unavailable, taking parliamentary livestreams offline and prompting opposition allegations of censorship.”
Key points
- The National Assembly’s official YouTube channel became unavailable, taking parliamentary livestreams offline and prompting opposition allegations of censorship.
- Assembly officials said the disruption was due to a technical fault as a joint session passed three previously returned bills.
Pakistan’s National Assembly has gone dark on YouTube after its official channel became unavailable, with parliamentary proceedings no longer appearing on the platform for several days.
The lower house had previously livestreamed sessions through the channel, but recent sittings have not been accessible via the official link. Broadcasts have also not been aired on state television over the same period.
Opposition members alleged the outage reflects a deliberate attempt to block public access to parliamentary debate and proceedings.
National Assembly officials, however, rejected censorship claims and attributed the disappearance of the channel to a technical fault.
The issue surfaced as a joint sitting of parliament was convened on Friday by President Asif Ali Zardari. According to a Presidency statement, the joint session passed three bills that had earlier been returned by the president without signature.
The bills passed included the National Commission for Human Rights Amendment Bill, 2025; the Daanish Schools Authority Bill, 2025; and the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2025. The president had sent them back last month despite approval by both the Senate and the National Assembly.
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