India blocks Turkey's 'TRT World' and China's 'Global Times' over misinformation

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday blocked the official X account of Turkish state broadcaster TRT World, days after forensic reports linked Turkish-origin drones used by Pakistan to violate Indian airspace.Pakistan’s attempted intrusion was immediately countered by Indian air defence forces, ensuring no damage was inflicted on Indian territory.Earlier the same day, the Centre also blocked the X handles of China’s state-run media outlets, Global Times and Xinhua, citing the spread of unverified and misleading information about the Indian military amid escalating tensions with Pakistan.Also read: Government bans China's Global Times' X handle for spreading unverified claims on Indian armed forcesUsers attempting to access these accounts are now met with a notice stating: “Account withheld. @trtworld has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand.”TRT World was found to be disseminating misinformation and fake news following India’s precision airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 6 and 7, under Operation Sindoor.Colonel Sofiya Qureshi detailed the scale and intent of the attack: “On the night of May 7 and 8, the Pakistani army violated Indian airspace several times over the entire western border with the intention of targeting military infrastructure. Not only this, the Pakistani army also fired heavy caliber weapons along the Line of Control." "Around 300 to 400 drones were used to attempt infiltration at 36 locations. The Indian armed forces shot down many of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means. The possible purpose of such large-scale aerial intrusions was to test air defence systems and collect intelligence. Forensic investigation of the wreckage of the drones is being done. Initial reports suggest that they are Turkish Asisguard Songar drone,” she added.On May 7, India launched a major counterterrorism operation, Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This action was a retaliation to the Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 people.