The official YouTube channel of the National Assembly of Pakistan has become inaccessible since January 21, 2026. The channel had been live-streaming the proceedings of the Lower House until January 20, 2026, when it broadcast the fifth sitting of the ongoing 23rd session. Since then, the House has held two sittings on January 21 and January 22 which were not livestreamed or uploaded on the YouTube.
The National Assembly has two YouTube channels including @NaofPakistan and @NationalAssemblyOfPakistan. @NaofPakistan has only eight subscribers and only video was uploaded to it. @NaofPakistan also started appearing in the searches and on the National Assembly website only today. On the other hand, the @NationalAssemblyOfPakistan had subscribers in thousands and used to regularly upload videos of the proceedings as well as livestream the House proceedings.
A screengrab of the message appearing on accessing NA YouTube channel through direct link
The channel is not appearing in the searches as well. Searching @NationalAssemblyOfPakistan through a direct link result in the message “This page is not available.” It also remains inaccessible through Virtual Private Networks (VPN), hinting its global unavailability. No official explanation has been issued regarding the unavailability of the channel.
The other official digital platforms of the House including its website and its accounts on Facebook and Instagram remain active and continue to publish content. Moreover, the Senate YouTube channel also remains accessible on the video streaming platform.
While the PTV Parliament, another platform that broadcasts Senate and the National Assembly proceedings through YouTube and terrestrial channel, has also not livestreamed the Lower House proceedings since January 20 on its YouTube channel.
What legislative business was conducted during the period?
During the January 21st sitting, the House took up private members’ business and passed the Elections Amendment Bill, 2026, and the Corporate Social Responsibility Bill, 2026. The former bill sought to restrict the public disclosure of MPs assets details while the later provided for a legal framework governing CSR function of the for-profit companies.
Prior to the unavailability of the YouTube channel, the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan secretariats had issued notifications declaring the Leaders of the Opposition in the two Houses. Both leaders have addressed their respective Houses after their notifications, with at least one media report stating that the address of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly was muted on three occasions during its live streaming on National Assembly’s YouTube channel.
A screengrab of BBC Urdu’s report on address by the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.
