Social media accounts of several prominent Pakistani celebrities were once again blocked in India on Thursday as the Government cited ‘technical error’ for the restoration of social media accounts, just a day after the restrictions were lifted amid the backlash .
This comes after the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) on Wednesday issued a formal appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a complete and permanent ban on the digital and media presence of all Pakistani nationals and entertainment-related entities in India. In a statement shared through its official X account, the association expressed concern over the reappearance of Pakistani actors and media channels on Indian platforms.
Sources said the temporary visibility was due to a technical error that caused the accounts to be inadvertently unblocked. 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. YouTube channels such as Raftartv, ARY Digital HD, Har Pal Geo are still visible here.
The move follows a brief window on Wednesday when many Pakistani YouTube channels and Instagram accounts started reappearing.
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.” sources said that the accounts were reflecting due to a technical glitch. “If you can see some accounts either on X, YouTube and Meta, they will be inaccessible in a few hours. Some technical glitch led to the unblocking. Rectified now,” claimed the source.
AICWA cited the active social media presence of Pakistani celebrities such as Mawra Hocane and Yumna Zaidi, along with several Pakistan-based entertainment outlets, calling it “an emotional assault” on the families of victims of terrorism.
“This is not merely a digital appearance, it is a direct insult to the sacrifice of our martyred soldiers,” the association said. It referenced terror attacks including 26/11, Pulwama, Uri, and Pahalgam as part of its appeal, reiterating its long-standing position that Pakistan is responsible for continued cross-border terrorism. The organisation called for a nationwide digital blackout of Pakistani social media accounts and media channels, a ban on all future collaborations involving Pakistani citizens across Indian media, OTT platforms, advertising and a permanent cultural disconnect with Pakistan, as a tribute to India’s armed forces and martyrs.
Right after the Pahalgam incident, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) announced a “blanket boycott” of Pakistani artists in light of the attack. Fawad Khan-starrer Abir Gulaal , a Bollywood film, was the first casualty of the boycott.
In May this year, the Government had blocked several Pakistani YouTube channels and social media accounts for spreading anti-India propaganda and provocative content. They include Instagram accounts of actors Saba Qamar, Ahad Raza Mir, Yumna Zaidi, and Danish Taimoor and YouTube channels of cricketers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar.
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 after the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir which killed 26 tourists.
It was also directed to all OTT platforms, media streaming services and digital intermediaries to discontinue web series, films, songs, podcasts and other media content originating from Pakistan.
