Instagram account of many Pakistani artists is restored

After months of being blocked, Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane’s Instagram account is once again accessible to users in India. Her return to visibility comes in the aftermath of a digital blackout that followed a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in April 2025, which claimed the lives of at least 26 civilians, most of whom were Hindu tourists. In the wake of the attack, which was claimed by a Pakistan-based extremist group, Indian authorities imposed sweeping restrictions on Pakistani content and personalities, including social media bans on several high-profile celebrities from across the border.

The restrictions affected a wide range of public figures, making their online profiles inaccessible to Indian users. While Mawra Hocane’s account has now been restored, the Instagram profiles of other prominent Pakistani celebrities—including Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, Hania Aamir, Atif Aslam, and Wahaj Ali—remain unavailable. For Indian users attempting to visit these accounts, a restriction notice still appears, signaling that the legal directives behind the blocks are still partially in effect.

So far, there has been no official explanation from Meta or Indian government sources about why certain accounts have been reinstated while others remain blocked.