Dawn Images

Amid heightening tensions between Pakistan and India following the Pahalgam attack in India-occupied Kashmir, another slew of Pakistani celebrities’ social media handles have been blocked in India.

The move comes after the April 22 Pahalgam attack that left 26 dead in what authorities described as the worst attack on civilians in years. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, however, Islamabad has denied any involvement.

Initially, stars such as Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan, Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas and many other accounts were blocked by the Indian government.

When Indian users try to access these accounts, they get hit with: “Your user is unavailable in India… Because of a legal request, we have to restrict access to your user.”

Earlier, Ushna Shah, Mansha Pasha, Ali Gul Pir and Arsalan Naseer shared the news that their Instagram accounts were unavailable in India. Now, in something akin to an online Hunger Games, more celebrities are banned and sharing their perspective on the matter.

Farhan Saeed

Farhan Saeed said the conversation started with talks of a possible war and came to “high school blocking”. The singer said that it was the Indians’ “loss”.

However, he was quick to add, “All the love to Indian fans who are victims of this and I pray that sense prevails and you can see your favourite stars again.”

Adnan Siddiqui

Adnan Siddiqui posted about his account being blocked, and said his account was like Abhinandan and was caught as soon as he crossed the border. The actor was referring to Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan in 2019 after his MiG 21 Bison aircraft was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force jet and later returned to India.

Siddiqui found out that his account was blocked in India after he travelled to Orlando. The Yalghaar actor was quick to remind India that “abhi toh party shuru hui hai [the party has just begun].”

Aima Baig

Singer Aima Baig kept it short and sweet. She shared a screenshot that her account was “unavailable in India” and said, “urmm… okay!”

We couldn’t decipher if Baig’s confused or simply doesn’t care.

Asim Azhar

Asim Azhar, on the other hand, was delighted as he posted an Instagram story that his account was not available in India.

“I made it, guys,” the singer wrote, after he was grouped with some of the biggest names in the industry and banned — definitely a marker of his influence and popularity.

Armeena Khan

Actor Armeena Khan was “not too bothered” about the development, but felt for “those fans who were always supportive… and were peaceful people.

She shared a second story, which detailed the percentage of certain countries that engaged with her content, with Pakistan at a whopping 77 per cent and India at 5.4pc.

“I’m personally good, not going to be too affected by the banning.”

Muneeb Butt

Muneeb Butt was not stressed out about India’s actions and said he had no “tension” about it. “Pakistan Zindabad,” the actor added to cement his resolve to support Pakistan.

Even more blocks

The Indian government on Friday blocked the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani celebrities, including Atif Aslam, Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam, and Fawad Khan, Indian publication Economic Times reported. They added that the accounts of Ali Zafar, Momina Mustehsan, Iqra Aziz, Imran Abbas, and Sajal Aly were also unavailable to Indian audiences.

The crackdown isn’t limited to celebrities. The social media pages of popular entertainment channels like HUM TV, ARY Digital, and Geo Entertainment are now also blocked in India. If people in India try opening them, they’re met with: “This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order.”

Earlier this month, 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including those of major news outlets, including Dawn, and even cricketer Shoaib Akhtar were officially banned by our neighbours. The official X account of the Pakistani government was also blocked in India.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is retaliating with its own blocks. The Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) decided to stop airing Indian songs on Pakistani FM radio stations, a move Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar praised.