India has reportedly blocked access to the Instagram account of Pakistani Olympian and javelin gold medalist Arshad Nadeem, amid escalating tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Nadeem, celebrated for securing Pakistan’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in javelin throw, had recently received an invitation from Indian Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra to attend a javelin event in India—a gesture he ultimately declined.
In a recent development, Indian authorities submitted a request to Instagram to restrict access to Nadeem’s account within India.
This action follows prior directives from India’s Ministry of Home Affairs aimed at limiting the reach of Pakistani digital content. As part of these efforts, 16 Pakistani YouTube channels—including those operated by former cricketers Rashid Latif, Shoaib Akhtar, and Basit Ali—were recently banned in India.
Moreover, Instagram has also begun restricting access to several accounts belonging to prominent Pakistani celebrities and influencers, citing compliance with legal content regulation requests.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that he “categorically rejected Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
He called for a transparent, credible and neutral investigation and urged the U.S. to impress upon India to “dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly,” it added.
