Instagram bans Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi in India after Pahalgam terror attack, ‘…goes against local law’

Instagram has blocked the accounts of prominent Pakistani cricketers Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in India. The social media platform has cited legal reasons for it.

“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,” it says.

“After the review, we restricted access to the content in the location where it goes against local law,” it adds.

The Indian government has already blamed Pakistan for the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed at least 26 people. The Centre has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading harmful content.

Earlier, popular Pakistani stars like Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan and Ali Zafar had their Instagram accounts blocked in India. This happened days after the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir.

Actress Hania Aamir reacted to the Pahalgam terror attack.

“My heart is with the innocent lives affected by the recent events. In pain, in grief, and in hope-we are one. 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," she wrote.

Many other Pakistani celebrities have faced Instagram bans in India. Such names include athlete Arshad Nadeem, singer Momina Mustehsan (the singer known for Afreen song on Coke Studio), actress Sanam Saeed (known for Zindagi Gulzar Hai) and actor Bilal Abbas (known for Ishq Murshid).

Pakistani actor Arsalan Naseer jokingly blamed Fawad Khan for the Instagram blocks in India. According to Arsalan, Khan is unlucky, like the squirrel from the Ice Age movie.

Khan’s Bollywood comeback Abir Gulaal, also starring Vaani Kapoor, got banned in India after border tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack.

India-Pakistan relation after Pahalgam terror attack

After the Pahalgam terror attack, the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan have taken a major hit. India blames Pakistan for the attack while Islamabad denies its involvement. India has closed its airspace to Pakistani planes.

Meanwhile, the US has urged India and Pakistan to reduce tensions. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to leaders of both nations while condemning the attack.

Rubio asked Pakistan to help India investigate the incident. Pakistan, on the other hand, urged the US to calm India’s reaction.