Government Orders OTT Platforms In India To Ban Pakistani Content
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has ordered OTT platforms in India to ban Pakistani content with immediate effect.
In the wake of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued a fresh directive to OTT platforms operating in India, banning all Pakistani-origin content with immediate effect. The notice, shared by news agency ANI, stated, “In the interest of national security, all OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and intermediaries operating in India are advised 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.”
The announcement comes after India’s Operation Sindoor on May 7 – a precision military strike launched in retaliation to the ghastly terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead, most of them tourists.
As part of the coordinated operation, Indian Armed Forces targeted and destroyed nine terror sites located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) between 1:04 am and 1:30 am on Wednesday. The Indian government has since intensified its stance on national security – extending it to the digital entertainment space.
The ripple effects of the military operation have also been felt in financial markets. Non-deliverable forwards on the Indian rupee suggest signs of depreciation amid the renewed geopolitical unrest. Meanwhile, Pakistan has responded by shutting down its airspace as a precautionary measure, as per a statement by Pakistan International Airlines Corp.
The entertainment industry, too, is feeling the heat. Several prominent Pakistani celebrities have had their Instagram accounts blocked for Indian users. These include popular names such as Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Atif Aslam, and Hania Aamir.
Fawad Khan’s much-anticipated return to Bollywood with the film ‘Abir Gulaal’, co-starring Vaani Kapoor, has now been thrown into uncertainty. The film was being hailed as his grand re-entry into the Hindi film industry after a hiatus of nearly nine years.
Instagram pages of other Pakistani stars such as Farhan Saeed (known for ‘Mere Humsafar’), Ali Sethi (‘Pasoori’ fame), Saba Qamar (‘Hindi Medium’), and Adnan Siddiqui (‘Mom’) are also no longer visible to Indian users.
A legal compliance message is displayed when Indian users try to access these profiles: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
The ban on Pakistani-origin OTT content and social media profiles marks a sharp escalation in India’s cultural and digital distancing from its neighbour amid renewed hostilities.
