Following the April 22 Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which claimed the lives of at least 26 people, India secretly relaxed the digital ban on a number of Pakistani celebrities and entertainment outlets.
Tensions between India and Pakistan, the nuclear-armed adversaries, sharply increased as a result of the incident.
Some internet users have complained that they can now access social media accounts, such as YouTube channels and Instagram profiles, that were previously prohibited.
Popular Pakistani superstars, including Yumna Zaidi, Dananeer Mobeen, Ahad Raza Mir, Azaan Sami Khan, Mawra Hocane, Ameer Gilani, and Danish Taimoor, are among those whose accounts are currently available.
Three significant Pakistani entertainment outlets’ YouTube accounts have also been reinstated, according to Indian users on X (previously Twitter), which brought attention to the incident.
However, the accounts of a number of well-known celebrities, including as Atif Aslam, Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, and Hania Aamir, are still inaccessible in India.
No formal announcement by the Indian government has explained if the unblocking was deliberate or just the consequence of an algorithmic error on websites like Instagram.
The selective reinstatement of accounts surprised several Indian followers, who questioned why some celebrities’ bans were reversed while others were still blocked. Some users conjectured that the unblocking was limited to “B-list” celebrities, which diminished the impact of the move overall.
Following Pakistan’s strong condemnation of Indian bombings on May 7, which damaged neighboring residential areas and targeted six targets around Pakistan, including mosques, the initial limitations were put in place.
Kotli, Bahawalpur, Muridke, Bagh, and Muzaffarabad were among the places that were targeted.
Publicly denouncing the assaults and pointing out the damage and civilian losses were prominent Pakistani figures, including Fahad Mustafa, Hina Altaf, Hina Khawaja Bayat, Minal Khan, and Ushna Shah.
Citing national security concerns, India banned Pakistani YouTube channels and the social media accounts of a number of public figures after the 22 April Pahalgam incident, in which gunfire targeted both military and tourists in IIOJK.
When the Pakistan Air Force shot down six Indian fighter jets in May in retaliation for missile strikes, tensions increased even more.
Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor’s movie “Abir Gulaal” was similarly delayed by this geopolitical issue, and posters of Mahira Khan and Mawra Hocane were taken down from popular Indian streaming services.
The partial lifting of the restriction has been reported by a number of Indian media sites, which have also confirmed that access to some Pakistani YouTube channels and celebrity Instagram accounts has been restored.
Additionally, YouTube restrictions on Pakistani drama and entertainment content have been lifted by India, enabling Indian viewers to watch them again.
