The YouTube channels of former Pakistani cricketers Shoaib Akhtar, Basit Ali, and Rashid Latif are again accessible in India, nearly three months after the central government blocked several Pakistani social media accounts following the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
Soon after the April 22 attack that claimed 26 lives, the three channels had shown messages indicating their unavailability in India.
The government had banned Pakistani artists across the media. On April 28, the government banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels–with about 63.08 million subscribers in total–for disseminating “provocative content, false narratives and misinformation” against India, its Army and security agencies.
The decision was based on recommendations made by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The 16 YouTube channels continue to remain blocked.
However, the Instagram accounts of Pakistani actresses Mawra Hocane and Saba Qamar are now accessible in India. On Tuesday, several Instagram users reported being able to view their profiles.
The Instagram accounts of other Pakistani celebs like Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, Fawad Khan, and Atif Aslam, as well as the YouTube account of former cricketer Tanvir Ahmed remain banned.
Hania Aamir is in the news for her casting in Diljit Dosanjh’s Sardaar Ji 3. The film has become a box-office hit abroad, though it did not release in India, given the India-Pakistan tensions following the terrorist attack.
The 16 banned YouTube channels are:
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1. Dawn News TV – Considered among the leading platforms in Pakistan with 1.96 million followers, the channel uses the handle @dawnnewspakistan.
2. Irshad Bhatti – Irshad Bhatti’s YouTube channel has 827k followers. The channel’s handle is @IrshadBhatti01.
3. Samaa TV – Samaa TV has 12.7 million followers. The channel goes by the handle @Samaatv.
4. ARY News – ARY News has 14.6 million followers. The channel’s handle is @ArynewsTvofficial.
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5. BOL News – BOL News has 7.85 million followers. The channel uses the handle @BOLNewsofficial.
6. Raftar – Raftar has 804k followers. The channel’s handle is @raftartv.
7. The Pakistan Reference – The Pakistan Reference has 288k followers. The channel’s handle is @ThePakistanExperience.
8. Geo News – Geo News has 18.1 million followers. The channel uses the handle @geonews.
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9. Samaa Sports – Samaa Sports has 73.5k followers. The channel’s handle is @SamaaSports.
10. GNN – GNN has 3.54 million followers. The channel’s handle is @gnnhdofficial.
11. Uzair Cricket – Uzair Cricket has 288k followers. The channel’s handle is @UzairCricket786.
12. Umar Cheema Exclusive – Umar Cheema Exclusive has 125k followers. The channel’s handle is @UmarCheemaExclusive.
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13. Asma Shirazi – Asma Shirazi’s channel has 133k followers. The handle is @AsmaShiraziofficial.
14. Muneeb Farooq – Muneeb Farooq’s channel has 165k followers. The handle is @muneebfarooqofficial.
15. SUNO News HD – SUNO News HD has 1.36 million followers. The channel uses the handle @SUNONewsHD.
16. Razi Naama – Razi Naama’s channel has 270k followers. The handle is @razinaama.