ISLAMABAD: The Indian government on Friday blocked the accounts of prominent Pakistani cricketers Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and national team captain Muhammad Rizwan. The social media platform has cited legal reasons for it.
Other restricted accounts belong to Test captain Shan Masood, pacers Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah, batter Imam-ul-Haq, all-rounder Shadab Khan, and former stars Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi.
Additionally, the account of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister and cricket captain, Imran Khan, is also now inaccessible in India.
“Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content,” it shows when someone from India tries to access their accounts.
“We received a legal request to restrict this content. We reviewed it against our policies and conducted a legal and human rights assessment. After the review, we restricted access to the content in the location where it goes against local law,” it reads.
Earlier, the Indian government banned YouTube channels for major Pakistani entertainment channels, including HUM TV, ARY Digital, and Geo Entertainment.
The media also reported that several Instagram accounts of Pakistani celebrities have been blocked in India, including those belonging to Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, and Sajal Aly.
The move, officially announced by the Indian government, has sparked disappointment among fans and content creators alike, as Pakistan’s television dramas had built a strong and loyal following in India over the past decade.
Many other Pakistani celebrities have faced Instagram bans in India. Such names include athlete Arshad Nadeem, singer Momina Mustehsan, actress Sanam Saeed, actor Bilal Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Imran Abbas, and others.
The restriction appears to be part of a larger digital crackdown initiated by New Delhi, reportedly aimed at minimising Pakistan’s cultural influence in India.
The latest restrictions follow the earlier banning of 16 Pakistani YouTube channels and several news outlets after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam of Indian-occupied Kashmir, which killed 26 people, for which India blames Pakistan. For its part, Pakistan has denied any involvement.
