India Now Blocks X Accounts Of Bilawal Bhutto, Imran Khan Amid Social Media Crackdown On Pakistani Figures

The X (formerly Twitter) accounts of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto have been blocked in India amidst heightened tensions between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Users attempting to access their profiles within India were met with a message stating the accounts had been withheld "in response to a legal demand".

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

This development follows a series of digital restrictions imposed by the Indian government earlier in the week.

Instagram accounts belonging to several Pakistani actors, including Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan, and Ali Zafar, were made inaccessible in India. Other prominent names affected include Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Imran Abbas, and Sajal Aly.

The blocked profiles carried a standard notice saying the content had been restricted in compliance with a legal request.

In a broader move targeting online platforms, India also banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly promoting provocative, communally charged content and disseminating misinformation against the country.

The ban extended to several established Pakistani media outlets, such as Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, and Geo News.

Additionally, the YouTube channel of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also blocked in India on Friday.

On the same day, the Indian government also restricted access to the Instagram accounts of other well-known Pakistani public figures, including singer Atif Aslam, cricketers Shahid Afridi and Babar Azam, and actor Fawad Khan.

India cracks down on Pakistan

The social media clampdown is part of a wider series of measures taken by New Delhi in the wake of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives.

Last week, India announced the downgrading of diplomatic ties with Pakistan, the expulsion of Pakistani military attachés, the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty - in place for over sixty years - and the immediate closure of the Attari land-transit post.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that intelligence linking the Pahalgam attack to cross-border elements was presented to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), prompting the swift and stern measures against Pakistan.

These actions have effectively dismantled the remaining official diplomatic channels between the two countries, plunging relations to a new low.

In response, Pakistan convened a high-level meeting led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and announced retaliatory steps, including the suspension of the 1972 Simla Agreement, the closure of its airspace to Indian aircraft, the sealing of the Wagah border crossing, and the halting of all trade with India.

Islamabad also declared that any attempt by India to divert water allocated under the Indus Waters Treaty would be considered an "act of war".