Glitch or intentional? Pakistani personalities Instagram ban reinstated after brief reprieve

Instagram accounts of celebrities and famous personalities based in Pakistan have been banned yet again after the Indian government seemingly lifted the ban on a few of them this Wednesday. The ban imposed on the Instagram accounts of Shahid Afridi, Mawra Hocane, Yumna Zaidi, Ahad Raza Mir, and Danish Taimoo is now restricted after its short visibility run.

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According to reports, government sources claim that the accounts reappeared due to a “technical glitch”. The accounts of Fawad Khan, Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam, and Babar Azam, remain blocked in the region and were not subject to the partial ban lift on Wednesday.

The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reimpose the ban immediately. “This is not merely a digital appearance — it is a direct insult to the sacrifice of our martyred soldiers and an emotional assault on every Indian who lost a loved one in terror attacks perpetrated by Pakistan,” the union wrote in a press release.

The ban on the social media profiles of Pakistani-based personalities, along with popular YouTube channels came after a Pakistani terrorist group led an attack at Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives and injured many—the worst since the 2019 Pulwama attack.

Following the attack, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) announced a “blanket boycott” of Pakistani artists in light of the attack, citing that “nation comes first always”.

Fawad Khan’s Bollywood film Abir Gulaal was scheduled for Indian screens on May 9 but was scrapped due to the Pakistani actor’s involvement. He faced a similar situation post the 2016 Uri attack, when controversy stirred around his film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, also starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Aishwarya Rai.

Diljit Dosanjh also faces controversy for casting Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in his film Sardaar Ji 3, which debuted globally, except for India last week.

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