Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam's Instagram accounts also banned in India
What's the story
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Instagram has restricted access to popular Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and singer Atif Aslam's accounts in India.
The development comes after a host of bans on other Pakistani actors' accounts and YouTube channels in India.
The message displayed on accessing Khan and Aslam's accounts reads, "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content."
Statement
Here's what Instagram stated about the ban
Going into more detail, the social media platform explained, "We reviewed it (legal request) against our policies and conducted a legal and human rights assessment. After the review, we restricted access to the content in the location where it goes against local law."
This comes after the accounts of several Pakistani celebrities, including Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, Sajal Aly, etc., were previously restricted, leaving many wondering why Khan and Aslam's accounts remained active until now.
Indian fandom
Khan and Aslam's popularity in India
Khan, famous for his Bollywood hits such as Khoobsurat, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and Kapoor & Sons, enjoys a massive fan base in India.
Aslam, on the other hand, has dominated the Indian music industry for decades with his songs.
Khan was gearing up for his Bollywood comeback after nine years.
He was set to star in Abir Gulaal, with the film releasing on May 9. However, following the Pahalgam tragedy, the film is not going to release in India.