A hashtag calling on Pakistanis to boycott Indian YouTubers has been trending both in Pakistan and India.
Tweeting with the hashtag #UnsubscribeIndiansYouTubers, apparent Pakistani social media users posted screenshots of them unsubscribing to Indian YouTube channels.
I request to all my friends to boycott all the channels, movies, dramas, songs and youtubers in India#UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers
— Malik Qaiser (@MallikQaiser) 10 August 2019
#UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers
— Danish™️💎 (@Peace_Unity_Pk) 10 August 2019
Trust Me .. We Can Defeat india ... if we stop and boycott on little things ... they ll become infront of you as " Beggers"
Boycott Channels.
Social Media .
Songs.Movies.
Adds. Strories.
Dramas.Comedy Shows. BIG BOSS
and many more.
You know where you subscribe Indian channels they earn in lacs.
— Mishii (@Mishii199) 10 August 2019
So stop subscribing. #UnSubscribeIndiansYoutubers
As a Muslim and Pakistani i have unsubscribe all indian channels do it guys #UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers pic.twitter.com/oA7UkR6NJX
— Farazthahim (@Farazthahim1) 10 August 2019
We must all play our part and contribute in this fight against terror!#UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers pic.twitter.com/e4Bm870BqL
— Shahzeb Hamid (@ShahzebHamid) 11 August 2019
Indian netizens reacted sharply to the trend with some users slamming Pakistani Twitter users for being “childish” and “insecure”.
Some netizens noted that Bollywood music label T-Series had gained subscribers over the last few days despite the viral hashtag.
Childish Pakistani unsubscribing Indian Youtubers
— Arvind Singh Rajpurohit (@Munrove) 11 August 2019
Meanwhile Indian Youtubers be like :#UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers pic.twitter.com/b7M696sFec
107M to 108M do more unsubscribe 😁😁😁😁😁😁 pic.twitter.com/GLp7D7CYVv
— DHIRAJ KUMAR (@DHIRAJK15015144) 11 August 2019
Pakistanis who are making this hashtag trend please ask your government to not BEG loans and financial aid from World Bank because MD and CFO of WB is also an indian. Same for IMF because Chief economist of IMF is also an indian. List is very long. #UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers pic.twitter.com/LQE5q1cGZy
— Rahul Chaturvedi (@Oggy01234) 11 August 2019
#IndianYoutubers put copy right and Community Guidelines Strikes on all the #pakistaniReaction channels who use your content and making money all the economic relations are stopped#UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers pic.twitter.com/tFGOGdmh1k
— Vishal Kumar (@imvishal_vk) 11 August 2019
#UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers
— Huma (@Huma17433303) 11 August 2019
Pakistan is a muddy puddle . Insecurities are so loud ! pic.twitter.com/cwHizlWa3x
Some Twitter users have even called for a response to the trend and asked Indian users to unsubscribe to Pakistani YouTube channels.
go and press unlike button to all these channal...presss unlike.... only....😂😂#UnsubscribeIndiansYoutubers pic.twitter.com/yyS3skkwJH
— RABBi_SHARMA (@Rabbisharma1) 11 August 2019
Indian YouTubers, film actors, and Bollywood movies are known to have a big fan following in Pakistan due to the fact that the languages spoken in the two countries are similar to each other. The two South Asian nations also share copious socio-cultural values, which makes the people of the two countries enjoy each other’s creative content.
However, amid escalating tensions of late between the two countries, Pakistan stated it would be banning Indian movies and no creative content of Indian-origin would be streamed in the country.
Pakistan, which has been blamed by India for provoking terrorism in India and instigating insurgency in Kashmir, claims to be advocating for the interests of Kashmir's Muslim population. It has called New Delhi's recent moves in Kashmir "illegal".
Islamabad expelled the Indian envoy from its country and refused to send a new Pakistani ambassador to New Delhi, while scrapping all transport communication with India, as well as all trade.
Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan since the countries gained freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. Both have also fought two wars over Kashmir.