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May 5, 2025 12:22 PM - Connect Newsroom
Instagram has restricted access to the accounts of prominent Pakistani celebrities including actor Fawad Khan and singers Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in India. This action follows the recent blocking of profiles belonging to Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan, and Ali Zafar, amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that claimed 26 lives.
Additional Pakistani artists affected by the content restrictions include Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Imran Abbas, and Sajal Aly.
Users attempting to view the blocked profiles in India are met with the message: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content."
These developments come just days after the Indian government banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including major news outlets such as Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, and Geo News. The bans were imposed for allegedly spreading provocative, misleading, and communally sensitive content targeting India.
Meanwhile, the release of Fawad Khan’s upcoming cross-border film Abir Gulaal, which features Indian actress Vaani Kapoor, has also been put on hold.
