New Delhi — The Indian government on Thursday issued an advisory banning all Pakistan-origin content from OTT platforms, streaming services, and digital intermediaries, citing national security concerns following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam and an intensifying propaganda campaign from across the border.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed all digital content providers operating in India to immediately discontinue access to films, web series, songs, podcasts, and other media originating from Pakistan. The advisory follows the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, including one Nepali national, and left several others injured.
The government said the attack, along with numerous others, had direct links to Pakistan-based state and non-state actors. “In the interest of national security, all platforms are advised to cease distribution of content originating from Pakistan with immediate effect,” the advisory stated.
The move comes in the wake of India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor, in which the Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strikes on nine terrorist camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation, which was carefully executed from Indian airspace, avoided targeting Pakistani military assets and was described by Indian officials as focused, proportionate, and non-escalatory.
As diplomatic relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate, India has taken a series of unprecedented measures. These include suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, halting cross-border trade, revoking all Pakistani visas, and ordering the closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, a major land transit point.
In addition, New Delhi has expelled Pakistan’s military, naval, air, and defense advisors from its High Commission in Delhi, giving them one week to leave the country. India has also recalled its own defense personnel from Islamabad.
The ban on Pakistan-origin digital content marks another step in India’s broader strategy to isolate Islamabad diplomatically and economically until it takes “verifiable and irreversible” action to end support for terrorism. (Source: IANS)
