- By Himanshu Badola
- Wed, 02 Jul 2025 06:49 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The YouTube channels of former Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Akhtar, Basit Ali, and Rashid Latif were found accessible in India on Wednesday. Several Pakistani channels were believed to have been unbanned.
It has happened nearly three months after the central government blocked several Pakistani social media accounts following the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Soon after the April 22 attack that took the lives of 26 innocent tourists, the three channels showed messages indicating their unavailability in India. The Indian government had banned Pakistani artists from the media.
On April 28, the government banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels–with about 63.08 million subscribers in total–for disseminating "provocative content, false narratives and misinformation" against India, its Army and security agencies. The decision was based on recommendations made by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The 16 YouTube channels continue to remain blocked.
Talking about Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistani pacer, widely recognised for his in-depth cricket analysis and engaging commentary, has been a popular figure among Indian cricket fans.
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's former captain, also got his YouTube channel unbanned in India. Afridi has come up with disrespectful remarks about the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the years, and did the same during the recent military tensions between the two countries.
The Indian and Pakistani teams are going to play against each other for the first time after Operation Sindoor. This match will be played on 20th July at Edgbaston Stadium in the United Kingdom under the World Championship of Legends. The recent development has received mixed reactions amid the ongoing concerning relationship between the two nations.