Mumbai, May 1 (IANS) The Indian government is tightening the noose around the Pakistani nationals after the horrific Pahalgam terrorist attack. In a follow-up to several Pakistanis being sent across the border back home, the tough action is now bleeding into the digital landscape as well, with the Instagram accounts of many Pakistani artists now stand blocked and inaccessible in India.
The accounts of Pakistani actors, including Hania Aamir and Mahira Khan, are no longer accessible to users in India.
The text on the Instagram pages of these artists reads, “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
However, the Instagram account of actor Fawad Khan, and ‘Pasoori’ hitmakers Ali Sethi and Shae Gillare still accessible, raising doubts if the authorities are still catching up on certain accounts or if the blockade is based on the GPS location.
After the terror attack in Baisaran valley of Pahalgam last week, tensions have escalated between India and its neighbour Pakistan, which is known for its notoriety of nurturing terrorism on its land since time immemorial.
At least 26 tourists from different parts of India, and foreign nationals were killed in the dastardly attack.
The terrorists allegedly sponsored by Pakistan used second generation phones, and used SMS for communication to evade modern day surveillance.
The attack has shadows of China as well, which has called for an “unbiased” probe into the matter, subtly hinting that they stand with Pakistan’s denial of the attack.
One of the terrorists is reportedly a former Pakistani commando, and is on the run as the National Investigation Agency of India continues to probe the attacks.
After an all party meeting, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a free hand to the defence forces to take the call on the mode, time and route of action against Pakistan which has long troubled not just India but several countries across the globe.
In addition to being a constant source of threat to India, Pakistan first opened its land to the Mujahideen from Afghanistan at the behest of the US during the USSR and Afghan war. The Mujahideen were trained in Pakistan to counter the advancing USSR, which entered Afghanistan to secure the Communist Afghan government.
While the USSR collapsed after the Afghan-USSR war, student leaders from Afghanistan soon took the Mujahideen under their wings under the group Taliban. Soon, Taliban consolidated power in Afghanistan through its road network and the illegal poppy trade of the country.
Pakistan also unleashed hell on its own citizens of East Pakistan leading to the India-Pakistan war of 1971 after which Indira Gandhi carved Bangladesh out of Pakistan.
And now, as per latest reports, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists were also behind the attacks on the Indian and American embassies in Kabul in 2008 and 2011, a concert hall in Moscow in 2024, and bombings across London in 2005.
While New Delhi continues to gather evidence in a bid to expose the deadly terror network of Pakistan, Iran, Pakistan’s neighbour along its western border, has offered to mediate the talks between India and Pakistan.
–IANS
aa/khz