New Delhi:
After the terrorist attack in Pahgam on 22 April and the latter Operation Sindoor by India targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan, affecting the entertainment industry amid growing tension along the border.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an advisory, asking streaming platforms to stop hosting the materials arising in Pakistan.
“In the interest of national security, all OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and middlemen working in India are advised to discontinue web-series, movies, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether it is available on membership-based models or otherwise, its origin in Pakistan with immediate effect.”
A quick discovery suggests that major OTT platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, ZeeE5 and JioCinema do not currently host any Pakistani materials.
Earlier, shows such as Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Humsafar were available on Netflix, but have been removed since then. Zee Zindagi, known for streaming Pakistani origin in the past, has also taken such titles from his catalog. Starring Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed, the much awaited show Barzkh has also been removed from Zee5.
A source close to the channel told India Today that the material was removed before issuing any formal advice, as a precautionary measure to avoid dispute.
Even before Operation Sindor, YouTube had blocked Pakistani entertainment channels such as Hum TV and Ary Digital in India.
Sixteen other channels were also banned for allegedly spreading wrong information. However, the songs are still accessible by Pakistani music materials such as Coke Studios Pakistan and individual artists.
A trade source said that the advisor came into force only on Thursday evening and would take time to be fully implemented. “In addition, it has been said that the material which was originated in Pakistan, but a lot of material has also been prepared by Pakistani artists in India. So there is no clarity around it. Coke is a global brand, so we still do not know that coke studio comes in Pakistan-root material. As time passes, we will do better clarity,” he said.
