Olympic gold medallist and javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem’s Instagram account has been restricted in India following a legal request reportedly tied to the April 22 Pahalgam incident in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian users attempting to access the Pakistani athlete’s profile are now met with the message: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
Nadeem, a celebrated figure in international athletics, enjoys widespread popularity on both sides of the border. The restriction on his account comes amid a broader digital clampdown by Indian authorities, which has seen the curbing of several prominent Pakistani social media accounts following the deadly Pahalgam attack that killed multiple Indian security personnel.
While Indian officials have not issued an official statement explaining the move, sources suggest it is part of intensified digital surveillance and content regulation efforts amid heightened regional tensions.
Instagram, owned by Meta, routinely complies with legal requests from national governments when such actions are deemed in accordance with local laws.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) leader Farooq Abdullah has blamed the Pahalgam attack on serious lapses in intelligence and security. He criticized the failure of authorities to prevent the incident despite heightened security measures in the region.
