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Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Social media accounts of Pakistani cricketers, actors blocked again
The YouTube channels of former Pakistani cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Rashid Latif, and the Instagram accounts of actresses Saba Qamar and Mawra Hocane became inaccessible in India again on Thursday, days after they were restored. 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.
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
After restoration due to ‘technical error', govt blocks Pak social media channels
Several Pakistani YouTube and Instagram accounts that had briefly become accessible in India were blocked again as the government cited 'technical error' for the restoration of social media accounts. The accounts had been blocked after the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir which killed 26 tourists. (YouTube official website) The accounts had been blocked after the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir which killed 26 tourists. According to officials familiar with the matter, the temporary visibility was due to a technical error that caused the accounts to be inadvertently unblocked. The officials added that the accounts are now in the process of being blocked once more. Earlier, blocked Instagram accounts of several Pakistani celebrities became visible in India on June 2. Also Read: Ban on Pakistan social media channels lifted? Many accounts, blocked after Pahalgam attack, 'accessible' in India However, on June 3, they were restricted again in India. The accounts included those of Saba Qamar, Mawra Hocane, Ahad Raza Mir, Hania Amir, Yumna Zaidi, and Danish Taimoor, among others. The message on their profile read: 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.' YouTube channels Dawn News Pakistan, Samaa TV, Irshad Bhatti, Ary News, Bol News, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN HD official, among others were banned by the government in an April 27 order. '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 ( stated the page of the blocked channels on YouTube. YouTube channels visible at the time of writing this article, and were previously banned, are Raftartv, ARY Digital HD, Har Pal Geo. The YouTube channels of former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, and Rashid Latif were restored. On May 8, the ministry of information and broadcasting issued an advisory to OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and other media companies to stop carrying content on their respective platforms which has originated from Pakistan. Citing national security, the ministry asked platforms to 'discontinue the web-series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether made available on a subscription-based model or otherwise, having its origins in Pakistan with immediate effect.' Tensions between India and Pakistan rose after the Pahalgam terror attack. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targetting terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). On May 10, a ceasefire was called between both nations.
Mint
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif, Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam, Dawn News and others: Full list of Pakistani accounts blocked in India
Following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, the Indian government has initiated several actions against Pakistan, including diplomatic action and an attack on its soft power. Amid the escalating tensions, the Indian government has blocked several social accounts of Pakistani politicians, cricketers, celebrities and TV channels. Here's a list of Pakistani social media accounts blocked in India — Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's official YouTube channel and Instagram account are blocked in India amid the ongoing tensions between the two countries over the Pahalgam terror attack. His YouTube channel currently states that the content is unavailable in India due to a government order. The message read, '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 ( Additionally, his Instagram has Instagram handle has been blocked for users in India. Fawad Khan, Hania Aamir, Sanam Saeed, Ali Zafar, Mawra Hocane, Adnan Siddiqui, and Mahira Khan are among the list of actors whose Instagram accounts have been blocked in India These accounts have been blocked in India following a "legal request" following the Pahalgam terror attack. Upon accessing the pages of these actors, a message is displayed to users in India. The message reads, 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." Pakistani singers Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Instagram accounts are not available in India. A similar message citing a legal request to restrict content appears to users in India while accessing their accounts. Notably, both singers have huge fan following in India. Instagram handles of Pakistan cricketers including Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are currently not available in India. Additionally, Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem's Instagram handle has been blocked in India owing to a legal request. The government banned 16 YouTube channels of Pakistan including Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News and Geo News amid the escalating tension between the two countries after the Pahalgam terror attack. First Published: 3 May 2025, 10:49 AM IST
New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's YouTube channel blocked in India
NEW DELHI: With diplomatic relations with Pakistan continuing to be tense, access to the YouTube channel of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was blocked in India on Friday. "The 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," read a message on the blocked channel. The government had earlier this week blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating "false, provocative and communally sensitive content" about India. The YouTube channels blocked are Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News and Razi Naama. The government also strongly objected to the BBC's reportage on the Pahalgam attack. This development follows recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, a famous tourist destination in south Kashmir, where 26 people were gunned down. Meanwhile, the Instagram accounts of leading current and former Pakistani cricketers, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Wasim Akram, were also restricted in India, intensifying the digital crackdown on influential personalities across the border in the aftermath of the terror attack. The list of restricted accounts also includes Test captain Shan Masood and pacers.
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Business Standard
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif's YouTube channel blocked in India over security
The government had earlier this week blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating false, provocative and communally sensitive content Press Trust of India New Delhi Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's YouTube channel was blocked in India on Friday amid ongoing tension between the two countries following the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. "The 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," read a message on the blocked channel. The government had earlier this week blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating "false, provocative and communally sensitive content" about India and has also strongly objected to the BBC's reportage on the Pahalgam attack. The government's move follows recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in the upper reaches of the Kashmir resort town in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. Besides, the Ministry of External Affairs will be monitoring the reporting of the BBC, which termed terrorists as militants, officials had said. The YouTube channels blocked are Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News and Razi Naama. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
