Mawra Hocane, Fawad Khan & Other Pak Celebs' Account Banned Again After Brief Access; Here's What Happened

Indian users found themselves unable to access the Instagram and Twitter profiles of Pakistani celebrities like Hania Aamir, Shahid Afridi, and Mahira Khan once more. This comes after a brief period when these accounts were visible following a backlash. The government has not yet released any official statement regarding the reinstatement of this ban.

On Thursday morning, the social media accounts of several well-known Pakistani figures were blocked again in India. This happened just a day after restrictions were temporarily lifted. Celebrities such as Mawra Hocane and Fawad Khan also saw their profiles become inaccessible to Indian users.

Glitch Causes Temporary Access

A brief window on Wednesday allowed many Pakistani YouTube channels and Instagram accounts to reappear on Indian social media platforms. However, by Thursday, users searching for these profiles encountered a message stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content."

Government sources informed IndiaToday.in that the temporary visibility was due to a technical glitch. They assured that the issue was rectified, stating, "If you can see some accounts either on X, YouTube and Meta, they will be inaccessible in a few hours."

Speculation Among Fans

On July 2, Instagram accounts of celebrities like Saba Qamar and Ahad Raza Mir became visible to Indian users again. Additionally, Pakistani YouTube channels such as Hum TV and ARY Digital were accessible once more. Fans noticed this sudden change, leading to speculation about whether the social media "ban" had been quietly lifted.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has not commented on the reappearance and subsequent disappearance of these Pakistani channels and celebrity accounts in India despite the ongoing ban.

Background of Restrictions

The original restrictions were imposed due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan. This followed India's Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror establishments in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Several Pakistani celebrities publicly criticised this operation, resulting in backlash and the geoblocking of their social media accounts within India.