The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) Thursday issued an advisory asking OTT and digital media platforms to remove all Pakistani-origin content with immediate effect, citing national security concerns.

The move comes in the wake of escalating tension between the two countries following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory air strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan as part of Operation Sindoor.

“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... having its origins in Pakistan with immediate effect,” the advisory said.

MIB did not name any specific titles or platforms, but the advisory applies to all forms of digital content — video and audio — whether hosted on subscription-based models or made available free to users.

Citing the Code of Ethics of the IT Rules, 2021, MIB said, “publishers must exercise due caution and discretion while publishing any content that could affect India's sovereignty, security, public order, or friendly relations with foreign countries.”

Cultural collaboration between India and Pakistan was suspended in 2016, following the Uri terror attack. While Pakistani artists have not worked in Indian productions since then, a limited number of shows, films and music from Pakistan continued to circulate via digital platforms, especially on YouTube and select OTT services.