Social media accounts of Pakistani celebrities banned again in India

The social media accounts of several Pakistani celebrities such as Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mawra Hocane, and Fawad Khan have reportedly been banned once again, briefly after they were made accessible in India.

The move follows a brief window on Wednesday (July 2) when many Pakistani YouTube channels and Instagram accounts started reappearing on social media platforms in India.

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Pakistani profiles blocked

Instagram and Twitter profiles of several prominent Pakistani actors and cricketers have once again become inaccessible to Indian users on Thursday (July 3), just a day after the restrictions were lifted.

On July 2, the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani celebrities began reappearing for Indian users. Additionally, Pakistani YouTube channels such as Hum TV, ARY Digital and Har Pal Geo have also become accessible again.

The Instagram accounts of actors Mawra Hocane, Saba Qamar, Ahad Raza Mir, Yumna Zaidi, and Danish Taimoor and the YouTube channels of cricketers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar, were reportedly made accessible from India yesterday. However, the accounts of other Pakistani actors, such as Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, and Hania Aamir, remained inaccessible even then.

Banned in India

Social media users reportedly started noticing the sudden visibility of these profiles, prompting speculation that the so-called social media "ban" had quietly been rolled back.

However, now if users search for the profiles of Pakistani celebrities on Instagram, a pop-up message appears stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content."

Notably, no official statement has been issued by the government yet regarding the reinstatement of the ban.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is yet to react to the reappearance and then disappearance of the Pakistani channels and celebrity accounts in India despite the ban.

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Cine body statement

On Wednesday (July 2), after several Pakistani accounts were made visible, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) reportedly made an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a complete ban on the "social media presence and media channels of all Pakistani nationals, artists, influencers, and entertainment entities in India."

Commenting on the visibility of several Pakistani accounts in India, AICWA reportedly said it is an "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."

Referring to terror attacks, including 26/11, Pulwama, Uri, and Pahalgam, the cine body held Pakistan responsible for continued cross-border terrorism and called it a "terrorist nation". AICWA also noted that "instead of showing remorse, several Pakistani artists have shamelessly spoken against India."

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Operation Sindoor repercussions

The original restrictions had been enforced in the wake of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly after India's Operation Sindoor, a military operation targeting terror establishments in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The government directed all OTT platforms, media streaming services and digital intermediaries to discontinue web series, films, songs, podcasts and other media content originating from Pakistan.

The advisory, dated May 8, 2025, issued under Part II of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, reminded publishers and intermediaries of their obligation to "ensure that content hosted or streamed does not threaten India's sovereignty, integrity, national security, or public order."

Several Pakistani celebrities had publicly criticised the operation, leading to a wave of backlash and the subsequent blocking of their social media accounts within India.