The social media accounts of several prominent Pakistani celebrities were once again blocked in India on Thursday, just a day after the restrictions were lifted amid the backlash.
Instagram and Twitter profiles of Pakistani celebrities such as Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mawra Hocane and Fawad Khan once again became inaccessible to Indian users by Thursday morning.
The move follows a brief window on Wednesday when many Pakistani YouTube channels and Instagram accounts started reappearing on social media platforms in India.
On July 2, the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani celebrities, including Saba Qamar, Mawra Hocane, Fawad Khan, Shahid Afridi, Ahad Raza Mir, Yumna Zaidi and Danish Taimoor, began reappearing for Indian users. Additionally, Pakistani YouTube channels such as Hum TV, ARY Digital and Har Pal Geo have also become accessible again.
Fans noted 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.
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).
Several Pakistani celebrities had publicly criticised the operation, leading to a wave of backlash and the subsequent geoblocking of their social media accounts within India.
