India-Pakistan
Pahalgam fallout: Instagram accounts of Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, other Pakistani actors blocked in India
Islamabad/New Delhi/IBNS: The Instagram accounts of several Pakistani actors including A-listers Mahira Khan and Hania Aamir have been blocked in India amid the heightened border tension between the two South Asian countries in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack.
"Account not available in India," a note reads on searching Pakistan actors' profiles on Instagram.
Other Pakistani celebrities whose accounts have been blocked in India include Ali Zafar, Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas, Iqra Aziz Imran Abbas and Sajal Aly.
However, Fawad Khan, whose film Abir Gulaal's songs have been removed from YouTube in India, can still be searched on Instagram. Singer Atif Aslam's profile is still active.
Earlier, the India government blocked 16 YouTube channels for provocative and communally sensitive content in the wake of the attack that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindus and all men, on April 22 in the popular tourist spot of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
The banned YouTube channels include Dawn, ARY News, Geo News, platforms by journalists Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema and Muneeb Farooq.
As per reports, these YouTube channels have been spreading false information and provocative content related to India.
Pahalgam attack and its repercussions
On April 22, 2025, the terrorists- belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)- asked the victims to chant Islamic verses (kalma) and made them pull down their pants to be sure of their their non-Muslim religious identities (read circumcision) before gunning them down before their families, including wives, children and daughters.
The massacre triggered nationwide outrage and escalated India-Pakistan tensions as New Delhi vowed to avenge the killings.
In an immediate response, India suspended the landmark Indus River water-sharing treaty and closed the Attari-Wagah road border, which acts as a lifeline of Indo-Pak trade and people-to-people ties, besides expelling diplomats, downsizing high commissions, and issuing a 48-hour deadline to Pakistani visa holders present in India to leave.
Modi gives full freedom to Indian military
Modi has given the armed forces 'complete freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing' of India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack which was targeted at Hindus.
Modi took the decision on Tuesday at a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed that it is 'our national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism' and that he has 'complete faith and confidence' in the Indian military.
After the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, India conducted precision air strikes on terrorist camps in Balakot in Pakistan. The camps were run by banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed with the help from the Pak Army.
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