India Restricts Access to Instagram Accounts of Prominent Pakistani Cricketers
Digital Crackdown on Pakistani Cricketers
On Friday, India took action to block the Instagram accounts of several notable current and former Pakistani cricketers, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Wasim Akram. This move is part of a broader digital crackdown on influential figures from Pakistan following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
The restricted accounts also feature Test captain Shan Masood, bowlers Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah, batsman Imam-ul-Haq, allrounder Shadab Khan, along with former players Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi.
Moreover, the Instagram account of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister and cricket captain of Pakistan, is now inaccessible from India.
When users in India try to visit these accounts, they receive a notification stating: 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.'
Instagram clarified, 'We received a legal request to restrict this content. After reviewing it against our policies and conducting a legal and human rights assessment, we restricted access to the content in the location where it goes against local law.'
Interestingly, the accounts of Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq, both former captains, have not yet been restricted.
Earlier this week, the Instagram account of Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s Olympic gold medalist in javelin throw, was also blocked.
These actions follow the tragic April 22 terror attack near Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals, primarily tourists, and left many others injured due to a targeted shooting.
In response to this incident, the Indian government has intensified efforts to restrict access to Pakistani social media accounts, citing concerns over national security.
Additionally, several Pakistani YouTube channels were recently restricted in India for allegedly spreading provocative and misleading content against India, its military, and security forces. This ban affected personalities like Shoaib Akhtar, Basit Ali, and Shahid Afridi.