On Thursday, the State Bank of Pakistan blocked all modes of payments including credit cards for the subscription of Indian content and OTT platforms. Including other Indian OTT platforms, Zee5 can no longer be subscribed from Pakistan anymore.
A notification has been issued in this regard as well. It reads,
“We are in receipt of a letter from Cabinet Division, Government of Pakistan whereby they have instructed to stop different modes of payments including credit cards for subscribing Indian content in Pakistan including Zee5.”
The State Bank has further asked all other banks in Pakistan to immediately stop different modes of payments to Indian channel Zee5.
“It is advised to ensure meticulous compliance of aforementioned instructions of Government of Pakistan and submit compliance status to PSD, SBP by November 13, 2020.”
It is pertinent to note that Pakistani series Churails also faced a controversial one day ban in the country. The series became a topic of much debate. Given the renewed interest in Indian video streaming platforms, it is alleged that this may have prompted the ban.
Another Pakistani series, Ek Jhooti Love Story recently debuted on Zee5. This move might also have come from more people subscribing to watch it.
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