Pakistan's Olympic gold medal winning javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem became the latest athlete from the neighbouring country to have his Instagram account blocked in India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Users attempting to access Nadeem's Instagram page from India are met with the message: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." Earlier in the week, former Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Basit Ali’s YouTube channels were blocked in India following “an order from the government related to national security or public order”. The central government officially blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating “provocative and communally sensitive content”. While Akhtar and Ali’s channels were not part of the government-issued list, they were also seemingly affected by the order. Interestingly though, unlike Nadeem's, their Instagram accounts remain available. Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News and Razi Naama are the other Pakistani channels banned in India. Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed and several injured when terrorists opened fire at a meadow near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in south Kashmir on April 22. The government has since cracked down on Pakistani social media accounts that have large following in India. Other prominent Pakistani celebrities, including actors Mahira Khan and Ali Zafar, have also seen their Instagram accounts blocked in India. Last week, India's Olympic star Neeraj Chopra had said that the invitation to Arshad Nadeem for participating in NC Classic – javelin event to be organised in Bengaluru next month under the name of India’s Olympic champion – was extended before the events in Kashmir. Neeraj, who said he and his family have been subject to hate and abuse, said Arshad’s participation in the event was ‘completely out of the question’ after the events in Pahalgam.
