India blocks Senator Sherry Rehman's X account

ISLAMABAD: The Narendra Modi-led Indian government has blocked the X (formerly Twitter) account of Senator Sherry Rehman, a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), in what is being viewed as another attempt to curb freedom of expression, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The Narendra Modi-led Indian government took a wide range of measures against Pakistan after 26 people were killed and several others injured in an alleged attack in Pahalgam on April 22.

Reacting strongly to the ban, Senator Rehman criticized the Indian government, referring to it as a “Hindutva Republic.”

“India has truly changed—existentially, it seems. Communication is key for stable, mature states, but to be blocked by the Hindutva Republic is a badge of honour,” she wrote on X.

She went on to condemn the shrinking space for dialogue, saying: “Little to say to people who question the existence of Pakistan. Sane people should still continue talking to each other in both countries—to not erase history, and to preserve the option of peaceful coexistence in the future. It’s another issue that voices advocating peace have drastically shrunk across the border and remain undisclosed due to fear of serial abuse over there.”

Senator Rehman also stressed the importance of dialogue on key bilateral issues such as Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty, reiterating that there are no military solutions to the disputes that continue to undermine peace in a nuclearized region.

“Modi’s India needs to accept this reality, as the recent conflict has already demonstrated,” she added.

India has truly changed, existentially it seems. Communication is key for stable, mature states, but to be blocked by the #HindutvaRepublic is a badge of honour. Little to say to people who question the existence of Pakistan 🇵🇰 Sane people should still continue talking to each… pic.twitter.com/aMQwhoSmuV

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) May 17, 2025

India has previously blocked the X accounts of several prominent Pakistani leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

The move is part of a broader trend of tightening digital censorship in India. Independent news outlets such as The Wire and TRT World have also been blocked. X (formerly Twitter) recently confirmed it had received executive orders from the Indian government to block over 8,000 accounts, many of which were related to human rights and minority issues.