On Wednesday, May 14, Pakistani songs were taken down from Spotify in response to a government advisory. Popular tracks like ‘Maand’, ‘Jhol’, ‘Faasle’, and others are no longer available on the platform.

On May 8, the Government of India issued an advisory instructing all OTT platforms, media streaming services, and digital intermediaries to remove web series, films, songs, podcasts, and other media content originating from Pakistan.

The advisory was issued under Part II of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. It reminded publishers and intermediaries of their responsibility to ensure that hosted or streamed content does not compromise India’s sovereignty, integrity, national security, or public order.

The ministry highlighted that numerous terror attacks in India have had cross-border connections involving both state and non-state actors from Pakistan. Citing the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of several Indian citizens and one Nepali national, the government emphasised that the advisory was issued in the interest of safeguarding national security.

"OTT platforms, media streaming platforms, and intermediaries operating in India are advised to discontinue the web series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether made available on a subscription-based model or otherwise, having their origins in Pakistan with immediate effect," the advisory read.

Earlier, Pakistani actors Mawra Hocane and Mahira Khan’s images were removed from the posters for their films ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’ and ‘Raees’.

Source: India Today