ISLAMABAD: Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and Indian hackers on Sunday hacked satellite transmissions of two major Pakistani news channels and aired inappropriate and anti-state messages.
On Sunday evening, the transmissions of Pakistani news channels Geo News and ARY News were disrupted, prompting both broadcasters to temporarily take their screens off air.
The affected broadcasters, Geo News and ARY News, are among the country’s largest news networks.
High-level security sources said that the hack was carried out by Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad with the help of Indian hackers.
The security sources said the hacking was aimed at airing pro-Israel content and inciting sectarian unrest.
According to channel statements, the incident occurred late at night. During the breach, anti-state messages were broadcast on screen.
پاکستان کے ایک سے زائد نیوز ٹی وی چینلز کی نشریات ہیک کرلی گئیں، نشریات ہیک کرکے موساد کی حمایت میں پیغام لگائے گئے#ARYNews #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/6wAUZum171
— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) March 1, 2026
Both channels immediately took their transmissions off air after the messages appeared.
In a post on X, Geo News Managing Director Azhar Abbas said the channel wished to inform viewers that it had been facing attempts for the past 24 hours to hack its transmission on Pakistan’s PakSat satellite.
He said Geo News had experienced continuous transmission disruptions.
ہم اپنےناظرین کو آگاہ کرنا چاہتے ہیں،،، کہ جیو نیوز ،،،جو پاکستان کے سیٹلائٹ ،،،پاک سیٹ پر ہے،،،،اس کو کسی جانب سے پچھلے چوبیس گھنٹوں سے ہیک کرنے کی اور اس کی نشریات میں رکاوٹ ڈالنے کی کوشش کی جارہی ہے،،،اور اب کچھ دیر سے جیو نیوز کی نشریات کو مسلسل رکاوٹ کا سامنا ہے،جیو نیوز…
— Azhar Abbas (@AzharAbbas3) March 1, 2026
A report published on the channel’s website confirmed that its transmission via Pakistan’s Paksat satellite has been subjected to attempted interference over the past 24 hours to hack the channel and disrupt its transmission.
For some time now, Geo News transmissions have been experiencing continuous interruptions, and the screen was hacked to air an inappropriate message, the report stated.
Geo News has no connection to this situation, the news channel stated.
ARY News also reported similar disruption to its transmission shortly after the incident at Geo.
Security sources described the incident as a “malicious attempt” by hostile foreign elements to create unrest and panic in Pakistan.
They said that Israeli and Indian hackers were involved in uploading anti-Pakistan content on these major news channels.
The incident comes amid heightened regional tensions. Pakistani authorities have in recent years reported multiple cyber intrusion attempts targeting government and media organisations.
