I&B Ministry orders removal of Pakistani content from OTT; Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's legacy account blocked

(From left) Stills from the acclaimed series, Churails, and the Fawad Khan-led Barzakh. Pics/AFP, Yogen Shah, Instagram

On May 8, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an advisory directing OTT platforms, media streaming platforms, and intermediaries to remove all streaming content originating from Pakistan. In the ministry's circular, the platforms were advised to "discontinue the web series, films, songs, podcasts, and other streaming media content, having its origins in Pakistan, with immediate effect."

This comes amid the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict. In keeping with the advisory, by the morning of May 9, Zee5 had pulled down its much-loved Pakistani shows Churails (2020) and Barzakh (2024). Pakistani dramas Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai, which used to stream on Hum TV's YouTube channel, were no longer available in India.

Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Through its subsidiary Zindagi, Zee5 had introduced Pakistani content to Indian audiences, bringing director Asim Abbasi's Churails in 2020. Abbasi's Barzakh too had found takers, as Pakistani actor Fawad Khan returned to Indian screens with the series. An insider tells mid-day, "Zindagi became defunct right after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, while the shows continued to stream on Zee5. But now, the shows have been pulled down from Zee5 and its YouTube channel around the globe. The shows' promotional materials too have been removed. The filmmaker and the cast have no way of accessing their work anymore."

Atif Aslam and Pasoori singer Ali Sethi. Pics/Instagram

The advisory affects not only the past and current works, but also those in the pipeline. Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samet Lo, which is Netflix's first Pakistani original series, will no longer première in India. An insider from the streaming giant reveals, "Though Netflix boasts simultaneous releases across the globe, this show will not stream in India. It's scheduled for a late June release in the remaining parts of the world."

The advisory's reach extends beyond visual media. The legacy Instagram account of late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as well as that of Pasoori singer Ali Sethi, who lives in the US, have become inaccessible in India from May 9. Audio streaming platforms in India have initiated the process of removing works by Pakistani artistes from their library. A Jio Saavn insider says, "It will take a while to do this as there is overlapping in certain cases. For instance, Atif Aslam has sung many songs for Indian productions; those can't be dropped. Nusrat saab is a legend. How do we remove all his music, some of which were in collaboration with Indian artistes?"

‘Exceeding constitutional limits'

The Internet Freedom Foundation, an Indian not-for-profit organisation, opposed the I&B Ministry's advisory. An excerpt from the foundation's statement read, "The Internet Freedom Foundation [IFF] mourns the lives lost in the April 22 Pahalgam attack and affirms that national security is a paramount constitutional duty, yet insists that security measures themselves must remain within constitutional limits. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's ‘advisory' ordering every OTT service, streaming platform, and intermediary in India to remove all content having its origins in Pakistan exceeds those limits."