ISLAMABAD: India has blocked access to the Instagram account of Pakistani Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem, after last month’s attack in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Indian media outlets, the restriction on Nadeem’s Instagram profile was imposed in response to a “legal request”.
When attempting to view Nadeem’s profile, users in India are met with the message: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request,” as reported by the Hindustan Times.
Instagram further clarified: “We received a legal request to restrict this content. We reviewed it against our policies and carried out a legal and human rights assessment. Following this review, we restricted access to the content in the region where it contravenes local law.”
Blocking channels
In addition, former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel has also been blocked in India.
The Indian government has taken down 16 Pakistani news channels on YouTube that raised concerns regarding the Pahalgam incident.
These Pakistani YouTube channels, which collectively command around 63 million subscribers, include major networks such as ARY News, Dawn News, Samaa TV, Bol News, Raftar, Geo News, and Suno News.
YouTube channels run by well-known journalists, including Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, and Muneeb Farooq, have also been made inaccessible to Indian users.
The attack in Pahalgam last month claimed the lives of 26 individuals at a popular tourist site in IIOJK. India, without providing conclusive evidence, has alleged the involvement of Pakistani elements—a claim that Islamabad firmly denies.
Facing backlash
Previously, Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra faced backlash from extremist factions in India for inviting Pakistan’s Olympic medallist Arshad Nadeem to compete in the upcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin event scheduled for 24 May in Bengaluru.
Nadeem declined the invitation due to scheduling issues related to his preparations for the Asian Athletics Championships.
In a post shared on social media, Chopra voiced his disappointment over the hate and abuse directed at him, stating: “It hurts to see my integrity being questioned. It pains me that I have to justify myself to people who are targeting me and my family for no valid reason.”
He also clarified that the invitations had been sent out to all athletes on the Monday preceding the Pahalgam incident.
