Following the deadly terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which India has attributed to Pakistan-based militants, particularly the Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot The Resistance Front, many restrictions have been imposed on Pakistan. Now, Instagram has blocked the accounts of several prominent Pakistani artists. This move came on Wednesday evening, and among those affected were Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, and Ali Zafar. It closely followed the Indian government’s decision to ban 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, citing concerns over provocative and communally sensitive content.
The Instagram block not only impacted Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, and Ali Zafar but also other Pakistani actors such as Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Imran Abbas, Sajal Aly, and Ayeza Khan. Indian users attempting to access these profiles are greeted with a message stating, “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.” However, accounts of some Pakistani celebrities, including Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam, remain accessible in India.
These restrictions are part of a broader escalation in India-Pakistan tensions following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, mostly Indian tourists. In retaliation, India took several punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari land border, and downgrading diplomatic ties. Pakistan responded by shutting its airspace to Indian airlines, suspending all trade with India, and rejecting India’s treaty suspension as an “act of war.”
Hania Aamir, who has a large fan following in India, expressed her solidarity with the victims of the attack, stating, “When innocent lives are lost, the pain is not theirs alone, it belongs to all of us. No matter where we come from, grief speaks the same language. May we choose humanity, always.”
Since the 2016 Uri attack, no Pakistani actor has worked in the Indian film industry, and the current measures further deepen the cultural and digital divide between the two countries.