Mawra Hocane, Yumna Zaidi, other Pakistani stars' social media accounts banned in India again? Here's what we know

Social media accounts of Pakistani celebrities, including Mawra Hocane, Sanish Taimoor and Yumna Zaidi, which were blocked following the Pahalgam terror attack, had reappeared and became accessible in India. In the latest development, their accounts have been banned once again in the country; however, the government hasn’t issued any official order. The Instagram accounts of the Pakistani celebrities now read, “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”

Why have Pakistani celebrities been banned in India again?

In May, the social media accounts of all Pakistani celebrities were blocked in India, following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. However, netizens noticed the accounts of Mawra Hocane, Yumna Zaidi, and other celebs’ accounts were accessible in the country again in July.  Even the Pakistani news media outlets, including ARY Digital, Har Pal Geo and Hum TV, among others, were visible in India again. In addition, the YouTube channels of former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, and Rashid Latif also appeared again in India. However, on Thursday morning, the accounts were found to be blocked again. 

Earlier, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA)  raised objections to the reappearance of social media accounts of Pakistani actors in the country. The body wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating, “It is deeply concerning and absolutely unacceptable that social media accounts of Pakistani artists like Mawra Hocane, Yumna Zaidi, and several Pakistan-based channels are once again visible in India.” 

When did the Indian government ban Pakistani celebrities?

On May 8, the government had blocked access to Pakistani content and celebrities in any form possible after the Pahalgam terror attack, citing national security concerns. It made 16 Pakistan-linked YouTube channels, including Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, inaccessible in the country. The authorities issued an advisory to all OTT platforms and digital streaming services to remove any content in the form of films, music, podcasts and web series, among others, originating from Pakistan. Following this, Indian film bodies also decided to ban further collaborations with Pakistani artists in any form.