Analysis identified at least 15 YouTube channels actively streaming Pakistani drama content and monetising it, all of which remain accessible in India. In addition, five Pakistan-based lifestyle and vlog channels, with a combined following of over 18 million, continue to draw Indian viewership.
Despite a government advisory aimed at cutting off Pakistan-origin digital content, a wide range of Pakistani dramas, lifestyle vlogs, political broadcasts and even military-linked propaganda remain accessible to Indian audiences across platforms.
Last year, following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian government issued an advisory directing OTT platforms, media-streaming services and digital intermediaries operating in India to discontinue web series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming content originating in Pakistan.
However, an analysis by the India Today Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team shows that enforcement of the advisory has been uneven and fragmented.
ENTERTAINMENT AND DIGITAL CREATORS
One such Pakistan-based OTT platform is ARY Digital. While the broadcaster’s YouTube channel is blocked in India citing “public order” restrictions, its official website, where the same drama content is hosted and monetised through paid subscriptions, remains fully accessible to Indian users.
A similar pattern appears with “Har Pal Geo”, owned by the Geo Media Group. While Geo News and associated YouTube channels are blocked in India, the platform’s website continues to stream Pakistani serials without restriction, allowing uninterrupted access from within the country.
Analysis identified at least 15 YouTube channels actively streaming Pakistani drama content and monetising it, all of which remain accessible in India. In addition, five Pakistan-based lifestyle and vlog channels, with a combined following of over 18 million, continue to draw Indian viewership.
The loophole extends beyond entertainment. Three Pakistan-origin podcasts, including those featuring political and socio-cultural discussions, were also found to be accessible from India despite the advisory.
At the same time, several Pakistani actors and singers with massive popularity among Indian audiences remain blocked on Instagram, reflecting selective enforcement across platforms. Yet the creators’ broader content ecosystem remains intact: at least four Pakistan-based digital creators, with a combined following of more than 14 million, continue to benefit from views and engagement originating in India.
POLITICAL AND ANTI-INDIA CONTENT
The enforcement gap, however, is not limited to cultural or entertainment content alone. India Today’s analysis found that politically sensitive and openly anti-India voices continue to remain accessible on major digital platforms.
One such example is Radio Pakistan, a public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan, whose official YouTube channel remains accessible in India. The channel last year carried an interview with Mushaal Hussein Mullick, the wife of jailed Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, who is serving a life sentence in India. While the broadcaster’s presence has been restricted on some platforms, its official Instagram handle continues to remain active and accessible to Indian users. At the same time, Radio Pakistan is blocked on X and Facebook.
The gap extends further into the strategic information space. The DG ISPR, the media wing of Pakistan’s military and a known conduit for state-backed military propaganda, continues to operate its official X handle without any visible restriction in India. This remains the case despite the account’s long history of disseminating narratives hostile to Indian security interests.
India Today also identified multiple Pakistan military-aligned pages and groups operating on Facebook, including “Public Defense Information” and Pak Army, which continue to circulate military propaganda and strategic messaging.
The enforcement gap does not stop at state institutions. Blogs and digital platforms linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, specifically its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF) were also found to be accessible from within India. These platforms continue to publish content propagating extremist ideology.
Taken together, the findings point to a broader inconsistency in how the advisory has been implemented. While YouTube and Instagram accounts have been selectively restricted, Pakistan-based subscription OTT platforms, politically sensitive broadcasters, military-linked messaging outlets and extremist blogs continue to operate through websites and social media handles with no visible access barriers.
In effect, the ban stops at platforms, not at content. By blocking select channels while leaving websites, alternate platforms and propaganda ecosystems untouched, enforcement gaps continue to allow Pakistan-origin content to remain accessible and monetised in India.
