India blocks Pakistani stars' social media accounts again, ban on YouTube channels stays
Just a day after the Instagram and YouTube accounts of several Pakistani celebrities became visible once again in India, the Indian government has reinstated the digital restrictions, citing a 'technical glitch' for their brief reappearance.
By Thursday morning, the Instagram and X profiles of stars such as Mawra Hocane, Ahad Raza Mir, and Saba Qamar were once again inaccessible to Indian users, reported India Today. Those attempting to view their pages were met with the message: 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.'
The move comes in continuation of India's escalating digital and diplomatic restrictions against Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
After the attack, India responded with a series of retaliatory measures, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and the launch of Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror launch pads inside Pakistan.
Among the measures was a wide-reaching crackdown on Pakistani media and social media content — encompassing accounts of actors, cricketers, and internet influencers — across Instagram, X, YouTube, and other platforms.
Although several of these accounts had recently become accessible again, prompting criticism and questions about their restoration, they are now re-blocked.
When users in India try to access these profiles, they are met with a message stating: "Account Withheld. (Name of the account) has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand."
On Wednesday, users briefly gained access to X and Instagram accounts of several Pakistani actors and internet personalities, including Mawra Hocane, Saba Qamar, Ahad Raza Mir, Yumna Zaidi, and Danish Taimoor, as well as YouTube channels run by former cricketers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar.
However, accounts belonging to Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, and Hania Aamir remained blocked throughout.
Additionally, the ban on YouTube also remains, sources said.
Earlier in May, the Indian government issued an advisory directing all OTT platforms and digital intermediaries to discontinue content originating from Pakistan.
The advisory, dated May 8, 2025, and issued under the IT Rules, 2021, stated that "content hosted or streamed must not threaten India's sovereignty, integrity, national security, or public order."
It explicitly instructed media platforms to remove "web-series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming content" produced in Pakistan, whether on subscription-based or free platforms.
Following the brief restoration of access to some Pakistani accounts, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) made an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a total blackout of all Pakistani social media presence in India.
The association called the visibility of such accounts an "insult to the sacrifice of our martyred soldiers" and an "emotional assault" on Indians who have lost loved ones to terror attacks orchestrated by Pakistan.
Citing major terror incidents like 26/11, Pulwama, Uri, and the recent Pahalgam attack, AICWA labelled Pakistan a "terrorist nation" and condemned Pakistani artists who, according to them, have "shamelessly spoken against India instead of showing remorse."
In their appeal, AICWA put forth three specific demands -- a complete digital blackout of all Pakistani accounts and media channels in India; a ban on all future collaborations or promotions involving Pakistani nationals; and a permanent cultural disconnect from Pakistan as a tribute to the Indian Armed Forces and the families of martyrs.
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