India blocks social media accounts of Babar Azam, other Pakistani cricketers

The Indian government blocked the social media accounts of several Pakistani cricketers, including Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, following the Pahalgam attack.

The Narendra Modi-led Indian government implemented a wide range of measures against Pakistan after an alleged attack in Pahalgam on April 22 killed 26 people and injured several others.

India quickly blamed elements from Pakistan for the attack, without presenting any evidence

India also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, known as the Sindh Tas Agreement, and ordered Pakistani nationals to leave the country within 48 hours.

Days after the attack, the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani cricketers, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi, were blocked by the Indian government.

According to Indian media outlets, users in India reported that they could not access the Instagram accounts of Pakistan cricketers, receiving messages stating the accounts were unavailable in the country.

“Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.” The message appeared when users in India tried to access the Instagram handles of Babar Azam and other Pakistan cricketers.

“We received a legal request to restrict this content. We reviewed it against our policies and conducted a legal and human rights assessment. After the review, we restricted access to the content in the location where it goes against local law,” it said.

The Indian authorities restricted the social media accounts of Pakistani actors such as Hania Aamir and Ali Fazal soon after the Pahalgam attack.

Pakistan has expressed its willingness to conduct an impartial investigation into the incident.

In an interview with the news morning show Bakhabar Savera, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Political Advisor, Rana Sanaullah, stated that Pakistan remains open to an impartial investigation into the Pahalgam attack.

“We are ready for a neutral inquiry into the Pahalgam incident,” Rana Sanaullah said that Pakistan would also accept a joint investigation or a third-party expert-led probe into the matter.