The Indian government has blocked the Instagram accounts of several top Pakistani cricketers as part of its continued crackdown on digital platforms linked to Pakistan. On Friday, the social media accounts of star players including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Naseem Shah were no longer visible to users in India. The Instagram account of the Pakistan Cricket Board was also restricted. Former players like Shoaib Akhtar also appeared to be affected by the action. On Thursday, the Instagram account of Olympic gold medalist javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem was also restricted in India. Users attempting to visit Nadeem's profile are now shown a message stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content."
However, the account of former captain Shahid Afridi remained active as of Friday. Afridi has been criticised in the past for making remarks against the Indian army. His YouTube account is no longer available in India despite not being part of the initial ban list.
The restrictions are the latest in a broader digital crackdown following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. The attack claimed 26 lives and led to widespread outrage across the country.
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In recent days, accounts of several Pakistani actors including Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, and Ali Zafar were also blocked in India. Earlier, YouTube channels operated by Pakistani cricketers, news outlets, and influencers were similarly restricted.
The Indian government has taken several diplomatic and administrative steps in response to the attack. These include suspending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and cancelling visas of Pakistani nationals living in India. The Attari-Wagah border crossing was also closed.
Cricket relations between India and Pakistan remain frozen. The two countries have not played a bilateral series since 2013. The latest tensions may further impact any prospects of a future series.