Pahalgam attack outrage: Pakistani cricketers Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan have Instagram accounts blocked in India

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: May 3, 2025, 08:08 IST

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Following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Instagram accounts of prominent Pakistani cricketers like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan have been blocked in India. This action follows a similar restriction placed on Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem's account, indicating a response to recent events. Users attempting to visit his profile are shown a message stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content."

Pahalgam attack outrage: Pakistani cricketers Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan have Instagram accounts blocked in India

Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi (AFP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Instagram accounts of several prominent Pakistan cricket stars including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan have been blocked in India in the wake of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. That ban also extends to the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Basit Ali, and Shahid Afridi.
However, the accounts of World Cup-winning captain Waqar Younis and former skipper Misbah-ul-Haq have not been affected yet.
Earlier on Thursday, the Instagram account of Paris Olympics gold medalist javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem was also restricted in India.

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Users attempting to visit his profile are shown a message stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content."
"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,"a added the note from Instagram.

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The move to block these social media accounts comes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives and stands as one of the deadliest incidents in the region in recent times.
In the wake of the deadly attack, the Indian government has taken steps to block access to Pakistani social media accounts, citing national security concerns.
Earlier this week, several Pakistani YouTube channels were also restricted in India for "disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India, its Army and security agencies".

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