Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, which recently escalated into a brief exchange of lethal force, Spotify has removed Pakistani songs from its platform in India.
This action follows a directive issued by the Indian government on May 8, instructing all digital streaming services to eliminate Pakistani content.
According to a report by NDTV, the Indian government’s advisory mandated that Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms, media streaming services, and digital intermediaries operating within India must immediately halt the streaming of any content originating from Pakistan. This includes web series, films, songs, podcasts, and other digital media, regardless of whether they are subscription-based or freely accessible.
The advisory said: “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.”
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Following this directive, popular Pakistani tracks such as ‘Maand,’ ‘Jhol,’ and ‘Faasle’ began disappearing from Spotify India starting Wednesday night, as reported by NDTV. The ban has broadly impacted digital platforms in India, resulting in the removal of not only music but also films and images related to Pakistani artists.
