India Blocks Pakistani Celebs on Instagram

India's Digital Retaliation: Pakistani Celebrities Vanish from Social Media Amid Cross-Border Tensions

In a bold digital manoeuvre reflecting escalating geopolitical tensions, India has expanded its cyber clampdown on Pakistan, now targeting the entertainment industry. Following the recent ban on 16 Pakistani YouTube news channels, Indian users are discovering that several prominent Pakistani celebrities have been digitally blacked out on Instagram.

The accounts of actors such as Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, Ali Zafar, Sajal Aly, Imran Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Sanam Saeed and Bilal Abbas now display the message: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." It marks a significant shift in India's retaliatory toolkit—blending entertainment censorship with diplomatic signalling.

This move comes in the aftermath of the harrowing terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 lives were lost—mostly Hindu tourists. The assault, carried out in the scenic Baisaran meadows, bore the hallmarks of past cross-border militancy. A proxy outfit of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, The Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility, casting a long shadow over Indo-Pak relations. New Delhi has since publicly identified three Pakistani nationals believed to have orchestrated the attack and traced their digital trail back to Pakistan.

The Indian government’s digital retaliation appears two-pronged: suppress misinformation campaigns from across the border while also removing public figures seen as soft-power symbols of Pakistan’s global image. With Instagram bans following YouTube crackdowns on prominent broadcasters like ARY News and Geo News, the message is clear—cyberspace is now a battleground for statecraft.

This cultural and digital disengagement is not merely symbolic. It underscores a growing trend in India's strategic posture: weaponising digital sovereignty to deter cross-border terror and curb influence operations. As the Indo-Pak rivalry evolves, even the silver screens and smartphones are not spared.

Is this the dawn of a new front in hybrid warfare—where hashtags and handles become extensions of the national interest?