NEW DELHI, May 8: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday issued an advisory asking over-the-top (OTT) and media-streaming platforms, as well as intermediary services operating in India to discontinue web series, films, songs, podcasts, and other media content of Pakistani origin with immediate effect.
“Several terrorist attacks in India have been established to have cross-border linkages with Pakistan-based state and non-state actors. “In the interest of national security, all 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 its origins in Pakistan with immediate effect,” said the advisory.
The Ministry quoted Part-III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media, Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which provides for a Code of Ethics for publishers of online curated content (OTT platforms). Under the Code, a publisher — while deciding to transmit/exhibit any content — has to take into consideration whether it affects the sovereignty and integrity of India; threatens, endangers, or jeopardises the country’s security; is detrimental to India’s friendly relations with foreign countries; or is likely to incite violence or disturb the maintenance of public order.
“Further, rule 3(1)(b) of Part-II of the IT Rules, 2021, provides that intermediaries shall make reasonable efforts by itself, and to cause the users of its computer resource to not host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share any information that inter-alia ‘threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign States, or public order.’,” the advisory pointed out.
“We have received the request and are working to comply in accordance with the law,” a website spokesperson said. ZEE5, which had put out a handful of Pakistani shows in recent years, does not appear to have them on its catalogue anymore. Many official YouTube channels of Pakistani broadcasters that were streaming full episodes of their TV series have been blocked by previous government orders.
Meanwhile, the Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Thursday cautioned against “Pakistan-sponsored propaganda” on social media and urged people to scrutinise information. “If you encounter dubious content, especially concerning the Indian Armed Forces or any info related to ongoing situation, report it to #PIBFactCheck,” it said on X.
“Social Media post falsely claims India targeted the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project in Pakistan. This claim is baseless. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has clearly stated in a press conference that India has only targeted terrorist infrastructure,” said another message.
The unit, which functions under the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, said several Pakistan-based handles were circulating an old image claiming that a Pakistani missile had hit an Indian S-400. “The image being shared is from 2023, of a fire at a military site in Moscow,” it said.
A video shared through Pakistan-based handles, claiming that the Pakistan Army had struck posts in the Battal sector of Jammu & Kashmir killing 12 Indian soldiers, was also found to be fake. The image used is from August 2011 and it was also reported in the media in 2016, the PIB unit said.
“An old video is being shared to show a Pakistani attack on an Indian military colony. This video is from Indonesia, dated May 6, 2025, and was recorded before #OperationSindoor was even launched,” the fact-checking unit said.
Quoting a previous PIB release and a news report, another post said: “Pakistani social media accounts are recycling an old video and sharing it in the present context. The video is from an earlier incident from 2019, involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17 V5 helicopter that crashed near Budgam, J&K.”
The unit also found that Pakistan-based handles were sharing an old image claiming that the Pakistan Army had intercepted a UAV that fell in Gujranwala, Pakistan. “The image being circulated is from the Ukraine-Russia conflict in 2022,” it said, referring to a related news report.
Old videos falsely alleging strikes on a military base in Amritsar were detected by the team, while another video from September 2019 of the Pakistan Army waving a white flag at the Line of Control (LoC) to recover bodies of its dead soldiers was being shared by Pakistani handles with the false claim that it was the Indian Army taking back bodies of its soldiers, it said.
The unit fact-checked another video of a crash which claimed that Pakistan had shot down another Indian fighter plane. “The video being shared is from February 2025 and depicts the crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 aircraft near Shivpuri, Gwalior, which occurred during a routine training mission,” it said, highlighting the news report concerned.
(Manas Dasgupta)
