Kerala-based jewellery giant Malabar Gold & Diamonds has landed in a major controversy just days before Dhanteras, after social media users renewed boycott calls against the brand. The backlash stems from its collaboration with Pakistani influencer Alishba Khalid, who previously made anti-India remarks during Operation Sindoor — India’s counter-terror operation targeting Pakistan-based militants. The timing of the controversy, right before the Diwali season, when gold and silver sales surge across India, has intensified the outrage.
The issue first emerged in September when Malabar Gold & Diamonds inaugurated a new showroom in London. Alishba Khalid, a London-based Pakistani content creator, was invited as a brand promoter. However, this association drew sharp criticism once people recalled her earlier social media posts mocking India’s military response during Operation Sindoor. In a now-deleted reel, Khalid was also seen posing with Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor, the brand’s ambassador, further fueling anger among Indian users online.
Khalid had made several inflammatory posts earlier this year, calling India’s airstrikes “cowardly acts” and accusing the country of targeting civilians and mosques — claims widely dismissed as false propaganda. In May, she wrote on X that India had “failed to provide evidence of Pakistan’s involvement” and that “the world’s largest democracy has shown the greatest hypocrisy.” She also declared, “Pakistan Zindabad,” asserting she no longer cared about losing her Indian followers, who made up 60% of her audience.
Her posts continued in a similar tone, with one image showing her standing before a Pakistani flag, calling India’s counter-terror operations “acts of cowardice.” What Khalid ignored, however, was that Operation Sindoor’s targets were not mosques or civilians but terror centers, including a Jaish-e-Mohammad compound long used for radical recruitment. Despite these facts, her statements spread widely online, earning condemnation from Indian users.
Months later, when her collaboration with Malabar Gold resurfaced, critics questioned how an Indian brand could partner with someone who had publicly insulted India and its armed forces. Many also pointed out the irony of her promoting an Indian company, apparently forgetting her own nationalist declarations. Khalid, who identifies herself as a filmmaker and traveler based in London with over 137,000 Instagram followers, has since deleted or archived her controversial posts.
Malabar Gold & Diamonds, owned by Kerala billionaire M. Ahammed, clarified that Khalid had been engaged through a UK-based agency, JAB Studios, before her anti-India remarks surfaced. The company claimed it was unaware of her past statements and has since terminated all collaborations with her. However, the clarification did little to stop the outrage, especially after old images and reels from the London showroom event resurfaced ahead of Dhanteras.
In response to the growing online hostility, Malabar Gold & Diamonds approached the Bombay High Court in September, seeking the removal of defamatory posts portraying it as a “Pakistan sympathiser.” The court granted relief, directing major tech platforms — including Meta, X, and Google — to take down the content and ensure that no similar material was reposted in the future.
Despite the legal reprieve, the controversy has reignited ahead of the festive shopping season. Social media users are again calling for a boycott of Malabar Gold & Diamonds, with some extending the call to other Kerala-based jewellery brands such as Joyalukkas and Tanishq, accusing them of disregarding Hindu traditions. Khalid, according to her own social media reels, had also collaborated with Joyalukkas earlier this year, which further inflamed online sentiment.
The renewed controversy poses a significant challenge for Malabar Gold & Diamonds as it prepares for one of its busiest business periods. The brand, which reported a global annual revenue of $7.5 billion in 2025, operates in 14 countries, including India, the UAE, the USA, the UK, and Canada. However, the ongoing uproar risks damaging its reputation and consumer trust, especially among Indian buyers who form a key part of its market.
With the boycott calls coinciding with Dhanteras — a day traditionally associated with buying gold and silver for prosperity — the timing could not be worse for Malabar Gold & Diamonds. The episode underscores how global brand collaborations can swiftly spiral into controversies when public sentiment and national sensitivities collide.
