New Delhi, May 1, 2025 — Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s Olympic gold-medal javelin thrower, found his Instagram account locked out in India yesterday, a move tied to a government crackdown following a deadly terror attack in Kashmir. Users trying to access his profile from India hit a blunt message: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.” No warning, no explanation beyond that stark notice.
The block stems from a brutal April 22 attack in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in south Kashmir, where terrorists gunned down 26 people, mostly visitors, in a meadow near the town. India’s government, pointing to heightened tensions with Pakistan, has since clamped down on Pakistani social media accounts with big followings across the border. Nadeem’s Instagram, with over 800,000 followers, got caught in the sweep.
Nadeem, who made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by hurling a record-breaking 92.97-meter throw to snatch gold from India’s own Neeraj Chopra, isn’t alone. Instagram accounts of Pakistani actors like Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, and Ali Zafar also went dark in India. The government’s push didn’t stop there—16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including those of cricket legend Shoaib Akhtar and media outlets like Dawn News, were axed for allegedly spreading “provocative and communally sensitive content” about India’s military and security forces.
Curiously, not all Pakistani stars faced the banhammer. Cricket heavyweights like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi still have active Instagram accounts in India, despite their massive followings. Even Shahid Afridi, a former cricketer who recently sparred online with India’s Shikhar Dhawan over military comments, dodged the Instagram block, though his YouTube channel wasn’t spared.
The timing of Nadeem’s ban raised eyebrows, coming just days after he turned down an invite from Chopra to compete in the NC Classic, a javelin event set for May 24 in Bengaluru. Nadeem cited prior commitments, including the upcoming Asian Athletics Championship. That invite, sent before the Pahalgam attack, sparked a firestorm online, with Chopra facing backlash for reaching out to his Pakistani rival. On April 28, Chopra took to social media, defending the gesture as “one athlete to another” and slamming the “hate and abuse” aimed at him and his family.
India’s response to the attack goes beyond social media. The Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rolled out sweeping measures: suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting the Attari-Wagah border, scrapping visa exemptions for Pakistani nationals, and expelling Pakistan’s military attaches from New Delhi. Nadeem’s Instagram block, though small in comparison, fits this broader pattern of severing ties.
For now, Nadeem’s X account, which mirrors much of his Instagram content—think ads for fertilizers, PUBG promos, and a golf event snap—remains accessible in India. His last Instagram posts, before the blackout, included a nutritional supplement plug and a Champions Trophy appearance. Indian fans hoping to follow the javelin champ’s journey are out of luck, left staring at a blank page and a terse legal notice.