Indian Media Says Glitch Briefly Restored Access to Pakistani Celebrity Accounts

Indian media reports say that a technical error briefly made social media accounts of Pakistani celebrities visible in India again before being blocked once more. The accounts, which include stars like Mawra Hocane, Ahad Raza Mir, and Saba Qamar, were accessible for a short time but became restricted again by Thursday morning.

Sources claim that the temporary unblocking was caused by a glitch affecting platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). These accounts mostly feature content from the entertainment industry and had been banned in India for several months.

The brief return of access created confusion, with many thinking it signaled a possible end to the ban. However, the accounts were soon restricted again, suggesting the access was unintentional. The restrictions were originally enforced after a deadly attack in Pahalgam in May, which India blamed on Pakistan.

In response to the incident, India carried out airstrikes and increased digital crackdowns on Pakistani content. Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack and criticized the ban, which has affected many entertainers and media outlets from the country.