Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem's Instagram account blocked in India

Instagram accounts of Pakistani celebrities, including cricketers, blocked in India due to legal request after Pahalgam terror attack.

Pakistan's Olympic gold-winning javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem's Instagram account has been blocked in India owing to a "legal request" 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."

Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed and several were 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.

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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Former cricketers Shoaib Akhtar, Basit Ali, and Shahid Afridi were among those whose YouTube accounts were withheld. Interestingly, while their YouTube content is no longer accessible, their Instagram accounts remain available, unlike Nadeem's.

The Instagram accounts of current Pakistan cricketers, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheed Afridi are also accessible.