Popular Pakistani artists, including actors Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir and Ali Zafar, found their Instagram accounts blocked in India on Wednesday evening, days after a deadly attack in Kashmir targeting tourists that New Delhi blames on Islamabad.
No Pakistani actor has worked in the Indian film industry after terrorists struck at an Indian army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016.
Last Tuesday, terrorists attacked holidaymakers enjoying picturesque Pahalgam, in a lush valley beneath snowcapped Himalayan peaks, killing 26. Survivors said the terrorists separated the men, asked several about their religion, and shot them at close range. All 26 killed were Indian nationals, except one from Nepal.
The move to block the actors’ accounts comes on the heels of the government banning 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading provocative and communally sensitive content.
Hania Aamir, who is popular with Indian fans for her Pakistani dramas “Mere Humsafar” and “Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum”, commenting on the Pahalgam attack said tragedy anywhere is a tragedy for all.
“My heart is with the innocent lives affected by the recent events. In pain, in grief, and in hope-we are one. When innocent lives are lost, the pain is not theirs alone-it belongs to all of us. No matter where we come from, grief speaks the same language. May we choose humanity, always,” she had said.
Mahira Khan made her Bollywood debut with the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees in 2017.
A day after the Pahalgam attack, India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operation land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the attack.
In response, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airliners and suspended all trade with India, including through third countries. Pakistan rejected India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and said any move to stop the flow of water will be seen as an “act of war”.
