Claim: On July 2, 2025, several blocked Pakistani celebrity Instagram accounts. Including former cricketers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar became briefly accessible in India, leading to speculation that the digital ban on Pakistani entertainers was lifted.
Fact Check: Misleading. The accounts were briefly visible due to a technical glitch, not because of any policy reversal. The digital ban on Pakistani personalities and content in India remains firmly in place.
What Happened?
According to NDTV, the brief access to these accounts was a result of technical reasons, not a deliberate rollback of restrictions. There has been no official communication from the Ministry of External Affairs or the Ministry of Electronics and IT suggesting a shift in India’s firm digital stance against Pakistani media.
More importantly, key profiles including those of Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Shaheen Afridi, and even government-affiliated accounts like those of Shehbaz Sharif remained blocked throughout, further supporting the theory that the visibility was accidental and selective, not systemic.
What Did the Authorities Say?
- According to NDTV, the brief reinstatement was caused by technical issues, not a rollback of restrictions.
- No official clarification came from India’s Ministry of External Affairs or Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- The incident did not affect all blocked accounts and profiles of Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, and Shehbaz Sharif’s media handles remained inaccessible.
Why Were These Accounts Blocked in the First Place?
To understand the intensity of the backlash, one must revisit April 22, 2025, when the nation was rocked by the brutal Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 innocent lives, including 24 Indian tourists.
India responded with full force:
- Operation Sindoor targeted terror camps across the border.
- The Indus Waters Treaty was suspended.
- And on the digital front, India geo-blocked over 16 Pakistan-linked YouTube channels and multiple social media accounts.
From popular entertainment channels like Hum TV and ARY Digital to cricketers and celebrities. Anyone linked to Pakistan’s soft power was wiped from Indian feeds under IT Rules, 2021, citing national security and public order.
How AICWA Steps In: “A Glitch is an Insult to Our Martyrs”
The brief glitch didn’t go unnoticed. The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) immediately fired off a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for a total and irreversible digital blackout of all Pakistani influencers, actors, and entertainers.
Calling the momentary access an “emotional assault on the families of our martyred soldiers”, AICWA highlighted the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Pulwama, and now Pahalgam to argue for zero tolerance.
Their demands were clear:
- Permanent digital censorship of Pakistani content.
- No future collaborations with Pakistani artists.
- A complete cultural disengagement, citing both national security and public sentiment.
Still Blocked: The Message Is Clear
Even during the glitch, when a few accounts resurfaced briefly, Indian users trying to access prominent profiles were met with the message:
“Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
This automated message that rooted in India’s strict cyber law compliance and reinforced the fact that no official unblocking ever took place.
Verdict: Misleading
No, Pakistani cricketers’ and celebrities’ social media accounts were not unblocked by the Indian government. What users witnessed on July 2 was a temporary technical error. and not a policy shift. The ban on Pakistani content remains fully intact, both on political and emotional grounds.