Pakistani Songs Removed from Spotify after Government Advisory Amid India Pakistan Tension

Spotify has removed all the songs of Pakistan in India. These songs suddenly disappeared late at night from the platform. These include many popular Pakistan songs like ‘Mand’, ‘Jhol’ and ‘Fasle’ etc. Users were removed from the play-list without any prior notice. The step has been taken after an advisory of 8 May released by the government. The advisory advised the government that all OTT platforms, streaming services and digital mediasts should stop any media content from Pakistan immediately.

This advisory was issued under Part II of Information Technology (Mediator Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) Rules, 2021. The government said that national security concerns have increased after the tragic attack in Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam on 22 April. It was emphasized by the government to ensure that the platforms do not streaming such content that pose a threat to the sovereignty, integrity, national security or public system of India.

The advisory states, “OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and mediator in India are advised to close web-series, movies, songs, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content with immediate effect, whether they are available on subscription-based models or which originated in Pakistan.” Due to this, changes were also seen in various music platforms. Pakistani actors have been removed from the posters of their Hindi films.

For example, the photo of Mavra Hocken has now been removed from the poster of Sanam Teri Kasam. Now only Harshvardhan Rane is seen in it. Similarly, Mahira Khan has been removed from the views of Raees on Spotify and YouTube music, in which Shah Rukh Khan is now seen. Similarly, the song ‘Budhu Sa Mana’ by Kapoor and Sons is no longer available on YouTube in India as it has Fawad Khan.