Govt Blocks Instagram Accounts Of Top Pak Politicians, Cricketers; Shehbaz Sharif’s YouTube Channel ‘Unavailable’

<p>The Indian government on Friday blocked the Instagram accounts of several high-profile Pakistani political leaders, celebrities, and sportspersons following the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir&rsquo;s Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. The action, taken under orders from the Centre, is part of a broader crackdown on Pakistani digital presence in India.</p>
<p>Among those whose accounts have been banned in India are Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Maryam Nawaz, and Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.</p>
<h3><strong>Shehbaz Sharif’s YouTube Channel, Pakistani Cricketers’ Instagram Accounts Blocked</strong></h3>
<p>Shehbaz Sharif’s YouTube channel was also blocked in India amid ongoing tension between the two countries. “The content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order. For more details about government removal requests, please visit the Google Transparency Report,” a message on the blocked channel read.</p>
<p>Instagram accounts of several prominent Pakistani cricketers have also been blocked in India. These include captain Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Imam-ul-Haq. The ban was implemented on Meta platforms at the direction of the Indian government.</p>
<p>This comes a day after popular Pakistani actors such as Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, and Ali Zafar also found their Instagram accounts inaccessible in India on Wednesday evening.</p>
<p>The move follows the recent attack in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, where terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists, killing 26 people and injuring several others, including a national from Nepal. Survivors recounted that the attackers separated the men, questioned some about their religion, and then shot them at close range.</p>
<h3><strong>India-Pakistan Tensions After Pahalgam Terror Attack</strong></h3>
<p>Following the attack, India announced several punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the Attari land border, and the downgrading of diplomatic ties, citing cross-border terror links.</p>
<p>In retaliation, Pakistan suspended all trade with India &mdash; including through third countries &mdash; and closed its airspace to Indian aircraft. Pakistan also rejected India&rsquo;s move to suspend the water-sharing treaty, warning that any such step would be seen as an &ldquo;act of war&rdquo;.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, the Indian government also blocked the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Pakistan&rsquo;s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. This followed his public admission during a Sky News interview, where he stated, &ldquo;We have been doing this dirty work for the United States (US) for about three decades&hellip; and the West, including Britain,&rdquo; in response to a question about Pakistan&rsquo;s ties to terrorist organisations.</p>
<p>The move to block the minister&rsquo;s X account came a day after the Indian government banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels with a combined subscriber base of 63 million. These included major Pakistani news outlets such as Dawn News, ARY News, BOL News, Geo News, SAMAA TV, and GNN. The banned channels were reportedly disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content.</p>