The Instagram handles of several Pakistani artists reappeared in India amid tensions with Pakistan. The profiles of Mawra Hocane, Saba Qamar, Ahad Raza Mir, Yumna Zaidi, and Danish Taimoor are now visible to Indian social media users.
In the wake of the ban on Pakistani artists and content in India, post Pahalgam attack (April 22) in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani Instagram handles and YouTube channels are once again accessible in India. Apart from Pakistani actors, YouTube channels like Hum TV, ARY Digital and Har Pal Geo can now be streamed by Indian YouTube users.
Despite Mawra, Saba and other actors’ Instagram accounts being visible in India, some Pakistani artists remain restricted. The handles of Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, and Hania Aamir continue to be inaccessible from India. When you click on their accounts from India, a message emerges which reads, “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is yet to make an official statement on whether the ban has been lifted or is it a glitch in Instagram’s algorithms.
