Twitter reinstated verified blue ticks on several high-profile accounts, including those of Pakistan cricket captain, Babar Azam, and former Prime Minister, Imran Khan.

Once a free sign of authenticity and fame, blue ticks must now be bought by subscribers for $8 a month, Twitter says.

Non-paying accounts that had a blue tick lost it on Thursday, as owner Elon Musk implemented a strategy, dubbed “Twitter Blue”, to generate new revenue, announced last year.

Only a tiny fraction of blue-ticked users subscribed – less than 5 percent of the 407,000 profiles affected, according to Travis Brown, a Berlin-based software developer who tracks social-media platforms.

But on Friday and Saturday, a number of celebrities regained their blue ticks, seemingly without action on their part.

Musk tweeted Friday that he was “paying for a few (subscriptions) personally.”

The accounts of some dead celebrities, such as US chef Anthony Bourdain, also received a blue tick.

Many official media accounts regained a tick, including AFP, which has not subscribed to Twitter Blue.

Malala Yousafzai was also surprised to get her blue tick.