
Social media accounts of Pakistani cricketers, actors blocked again
The lifting of the ban on these accounts had come nearly three months after the central government blocked several Pakistani social media accounts following the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
The YouTube channel, 'The Game Plan', by former Pakistani cricketers Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal, however, remains available.
Akhtar's profile on Instagram and X remain banned, as does that of former Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi. The latter's YouTube channel has also been banned again.
The YouTube accounts of the former Pakistani cricketers display the message: 'This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order. For more details about government removal requests, please visit the Google Transparency Report.'
The Instagram accounts of the actresses state: 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.'
On April 28, the government had banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels–with about 63.08 million subscribers in total–for disseminating 'provocative content, false narratives and misinformation' against India, its Army and security agencies. The decision was based on recommendations made by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
1. Dawn News TV: Considered among the leading platforms in Pakistan with 1.96 million followers, the channel uses the handle @dawnnewspakistan.
2. Irshad Bhatti: His YouTube channel has 827,000 followers. The channel's handle is @IrshadBhatti01.
3. Samaa TV: Samaa TV has 12.7 million followers. The channel goes by the handle @Samaatv.
4. ARY News: ARY News has 14.6 million followers. The channel's handle is @ArynewsTvofficial.
5. BOL News: BOL News has 7.85 million followers. The channel uses the handle @BOLNewsofficial.
6. Raftar: Raftar has 804k followers. The channel's handle is @raftartv.
7. The Pakistan Reference: The channel has 288,000 followers. The channel's handle is @ThePakistanExperience.
8. Geo News: It has 18.1 million followers. The channel uses the handle @geonews.
9. Samaa Sports: Samaa Sports has 73,500 followers. The channel's handle is @SamaaSports.
10. GNN: It has 3.54 million followers. The channel's handle is @gnnhdofficial.
11. Uzair Cricket: Uzair Cricket has 288,000 followers. The channel's handle is @UzairCricket786.
12. Umar Cheema Exclusive: It has 125,000 followers. The channel's handle is @UmarCheemaExclusive.
13. Asma Shirazi: Her channel has 133,000 followers. The handle is @AsmaShiraziofficial.
14. Muneeb Farooq: His channel has 165,000 followers. The handle is @muneebfarooqofficial.
15. SUNO News HD: It has 1.36 million followers. The channel uses the handle @SUNONewsHD.
16. Razi Naama: The channel has 270,000 followers. The handle is @razinaama.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
42 minutes ago
- First Post
‘Rafales, in the plural…absolutely not correct': India's defence secretary dismisses Pakistan claim
Indian Defence Secretary RK Singh has denied Pakistan's claim on shooting down Indian fighter planes. He said that it was 'absolutely not correct' that Pakistan shot down more than one Indian fighter planes in Operation Sindoor. read more Rafale fighter jet is seen parked on the tarmac during its induction ceremony at an air force station in Ambala, India, September 10, 2020. File Image/Reuters Indian Defence Secretary RK Singh said on Monday that Pakistan's claim of shooting down multiple Rafale fighter planes is incorrect. In the four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May, Pakistan has claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter planes, including three Rafales. While refusing to go into the specifics, Singh told CNBC-TV18, 'You have used the term Rafales in the plural, I can assure you that is absolutely not correct. Pakistan suffered losses many times over India in both human and material terms and more than 100 terrorists.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Singh's remarks appear to confirm a previous statement by Eric Trappier, the CEO of Rafale-manufacturer Dassault Aviation, that India lost one Rafale fighter plane — Singh said that Indian loss of Rafales was not 'plural' (more than one). In remarks published in French outlet Avion De Chasse on June 25, Trappier said that India lost one Rafale aircraft 'at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact'. What all India has said about losses in Operation Sindoor Singh further said that no political constraints were imposed on the armed forces during the conflict with Pakistan on May 7-10. 'No political constraints on our armed forces and they have full operational freedom in conflict,' said Singh. The remarks were an apparent reaction to a statement by Captain Shiv Kumar, India's Defence Attache to Indonesia, last month at a seminar that said India lost fighter planes because of the rules of engagement set by the political leadership in the beginning of the conflict. 'We did lose some aircraft, and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishments and their air defences,' said Kumar. In the first round of strikes under Operation Sindoor on the night of May 6-7, India struck only terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). India began striking Pakistani military facilities only after Pakistani military attacked India after Indian airstrikes on terrorist sites. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While India has confirmed that it lost fighter planes formally, it has not confirmed the numbers and has consistently downplayed the numbers presented by Pakistan. Last month, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said that Pakistan's claim of shooting down six Indian fighter planes was 'absolutely incorrect'. Singh told Bloomberg that the numbers were not important but the fact that India figured out and corrected its mistake to achieve superiority was important. 'The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,' said Chauhan.


Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Pak spy accused vlogger Jyoti Malhotra visited Kerala on govt invitation, reveals RTI
Jyoti Malhotra, a 33-year-old vlogger from Haryana recently arrested on charges of espionage for Pakistan, had earlier visited Kerala on an official invitation from the state government, said an RTI (Right to Information) reply that has now surfaced. The RTI response confirms that Malhotra's travel, stay, and itinerary expenses were fully covered by the department during her visit. Malhotra was part of a tourism promotion campaign organised by the Kerala Tourism Department, which funded a group of social media influencers to enhance the state's digital visibility as a travel destination. The RTI response confirms that Malhotra's travel, stay, and itinerary expenses were fully covered by the department during her visit. As per official records, Jyoti Malhotra toured Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Munnar between 2024 and 2025 under the government's influencer collaboration initiative. Her participation was listed alongside several other digital creators active between January 2024 and May 2025. The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday strongly condemned reports that YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested on espionage charges, was invited by the Kerala government for promoting tourism in the state. 'The Communist Party of India strongly condemns the BJP's attempt to drag the Kerala government into the Jyoti Malhotra espionage case to cover up its own grave failures on national security,' CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said in a statement. Kumar said it was outrageous to suggest that a state government was responsible for a YouTuber's travel to Pakistan when passport issuance, visa clearance, and intelligence monitoring are all under the control of the Union government. 'Did the Kerala government approve her visits to Pakistan? Did it place her in contact with ISI handlers in Delhi? This is a desperate and politically motivated deflection,' he said. He also alleged that the BJP had a long list of embarrassments involving its members linked to 'espionage and terrorism.'Some BJP leaders, including spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, had cited an RTI reply to claim that Malhotra had visited Kerala on an invite of the state government. 'So Bharat Mata is blocked and Pak spies are given red carpet by the Left,' Poonawalla had said. Kumar parried the charge, saying, 'Instead of taking responsibility, the BJP is now targeting Kerala over a routine tourism event Malhotra once attended despite no link between that and her ISI recruitment. The Centre's own agencies failed to detect multiple Pakistan trips and foreign funding, all under their direct jurisdiction.' Investigations have since revealed that Malhotra had travelled to Pakistan multiple times and had established contacts with officials from Pakistani intelligence agencies, including personnel from the Pakistan High Commission. One such official was later expelled by India after their association came to light. Malhotra is one of 12 individuals arrested across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh as part of a coordinated crackdown on a suspected spy ring that allegedly targeted Indian social media influencers to gather intelligence. Her YouTube channel, 'Travel with Jo', hosts 487 videos, many of which are from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Notably, one of her earlier viral videos featured her wearing a Kerala sari and attending a Theyyam performance in Kannur.


Scroll.in
2 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Maharashtra Legislative Council to issue show cause notice to Kunal Kamra for remarks on deputy CM
The Maharashtra Legislative Council's Privileges Committee has decided to issue a show cause notice to comedian Kunal Kamra for his satirical remarks about Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, The Hindu reported on Tuesday. The decision was passed unanimously by the 11-member committee, its chairperson, Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Prasad Lad, told the newspaper. A show cause notice will also be issued to Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) spokesperson Sushma Andhare. The committee decided to issue the notice to Kamra for allegedly mocking Shinde, and insulting the Maharashtra legislature and the state as a whole. It will also send a notice to Andhare for expressing support for Kamra and making similar remarks, The Hindu reported. The judicial wing of the committee is currently reviewing the proposal, and the notices are expected to be sent by the end of the week. A breach of privilege motion against Kamra and Andhare had been submitted during the Budget session by BJP MLC Pravin Darekar. Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde then forwarded the notice to the Privileges Committee in June, PTI reported. Recipients of the notice are required to submit a written response within 15 days. If they fail to do so, a second and then a third notice may follow. After three ignored notices, the committee has the authority to direct the police to make an arrest. The individual can then appear before the committee, either personally, through a lawyer, or issue an apology. 'Whatever decision the committee takes thereafter, is the final decision,' the chairperson of the committee told The Hindu. 'Even the courts have no jurisdiction in the matter.' On March 23, the comedian posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he ostensibly criticised Shinde while performing a satirical version of a song from a Hindi film. Kamra alluded to Shinde as a ' traitor ' while referring to his 2022 rebellion against former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the ensuing political crisis in Maharashtra. He, however, did not mention Shinde by name. After clips of the performance were widely shared on social media, members of the Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena on the night of March 23 vandalised The Habitat studio in Mumbai's Khar area, where it was recorded. The next day, the Mumbai Police filed a case against Kamra under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to defamation and public mischief. The police have summoned Kamra for questioning three times, but he has not appeared before them so far. The Bombay High Court had on April 16 granted Kamra interim protection from arrest to Kamra till the case was heard. On April 25, the protection was made permanent. Earlier, the Madras High Court also extended interim protection from arrest to Kamra till April 17.