India blocks social media accounts of Imran Khan, Bilawal Bhutto, Abida Parveen
India has blocked the social media accounts of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto and singer Abida Parveen in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The accounts were blocked in response to legal demands by the Indian government, said social media platforms X and Instagram.
On May 1, Instagram restricted access in India to the accounts of several Pakistani actors, including Mahira Khan and Hania Aamir, along with Olympic medallist Arshad Nadeem, in compliance with a “legal request”.
The accounts of actors such as Ali Zafar, Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Imran Abbas and Sajal Aly, and singer Atif Aslam, could also not be accessed in India.
India has also blocked the accounts of Pakistan’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Ataullah Tarar, and cricketers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
On April 28, the Union government banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, accusing them of spreading misinformation and content that could incite communal tension. The banned platforms included major news outlets such as Dawn News, Samaa TV and Geo News.
YouTube channels of journalists Muneeb Farooq, Umar Cheema, Asma Shirazi and Irshad Bhatti were also blocked.
Former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel was among those restricted.
The terror attack at Baisaran near the town of Pahalgam on April 22 left 26 persons dead and 17 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu.
India retaliated by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960...
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