Ban on Pakistan social media channels lifted? Many accounts, blocked after Pahalgam attack, ‘accessible' in India

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Several social media accounts of Pakistani celebrities and YouTube channels of the country's news organisations, which were blocked following the Pahalgam terror attack, now appear to be accessible again. Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane and former cricketer Shahid Afridi(X and Instagram)
The Instagram accounts of several Pakistani celebrities, such as Mawra Hocane, Yumna Zaidi, Ahad Raza Mir, and Danish Taimoor, are now accessible from India. However, the accounts of other Pakistani actors, such as Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, and Hania Aamir, continue to be inaccessible from India, according to netizens.
In addition to the film fraternity, Pakistani news media outlets like Hum TV, ARY Digital, and Har Pal Geo were available to be streamed in India again. The YouTube channels of former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, and Rashid Latif also appear to be restored.
On May 8, the Indian government had issued a formal advisory to all OTT platforms and digital streaming services, instructing them to immediately remove any web series, films, music, podcasts, or other content that originates from Pakistan.
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The advisory, framed under the IT Rules, 2021, had cited national security concerns and aims to prevent the dissemination of content deemed harmful to India's sovereignty or public order.
Prior to that, authorities had blocked access to 16 Pakistan-linked YouTube channels, including those of news outlets and journalists. YouTube channels of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and sports figures like Shaheen Afridi and Shoaib Malik were also removed from Indian viewership. ACWA writes to PM Modi
Earlier today, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising strong objections to the reappearance of social media accounts of Pakistani actors in India.
'It is deeply concerning and absolutely unacceptable that social media accounts of Pakistani artists like Mawra Hocane, Yumna Zaidi, and several Pakistan-based channels are once again visible in India," it said.
"This is not merely a digital appearance — it is a direct insult to the sacrifice of our martyred soldiers and an emotional assault on every Indian who lost a loved one in terror attacks perpetrated by Pakistan,' the body added. India-Pak tensions
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terrorist infrastructure at nine locations in territories controlled by Pakistan, killing more than 100 terrorists. The operation also destroyed terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, from where terrorist attacks against India were planned and directed.
This triggered four days of clashes, with both sides using drones, missiles and long-range weapons and raising fears of an all-out war. On May 10, India's military conducted strikes on eight Pakistani airbases, including Murid and Nur Khan air bases, in retaliation for Pakistani attacks on a range of military facilities earlier the same day.
The targets hit by the Indian Air Force included runways, hangars, command and control centres, radar bases, missile sites and weapon storage areas. An understanding was reached between both countries to cease hostilities later that day.