As political tensions continue to brew, India has banned access to the Instagram accounts of Pakistani celebrities. Due to this, Indian netizens will not be able to see the profiles of stars such as Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, Sajal Ali, Iqra Aziz, Sanam Saeed, Imran Abbas, and more.
An attempt to do so would redirect them to a special message that states, "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this account." The few stars who survived the first swing of the axe include Atif Aslam, Fawad Khan, and Mawra Hocane.
Dropping a hilarious comment on the matter, Arsalan Naseer wrote on Instagram Stories, "Fawad bhai, you worked on the film. Problems began on the border. But I got banned? Please don't mind this, but you're like that squirrel from Ice Age."
Meanwhile, Zhalay Sarhadi didn't hold back from criticising the move. "What are you trying to prove by banning us? Are you scared or something? One should conceal their vulnerability a little. It's quite a desperate move in my opinion," she said. "Also, have you heard of VPN? It's a useful application!"
Following the news of the ban, Indian clothing brand Manish Malhotra removed Mahira and Hania's posts from their Instagram handle.
Although the unannounced move came as a surprise to the digital world, a number of Indian netizens demanded a stricter cutback. "Ban Pakistani artist Fawad Khan's Instagram account," a user urged. "What about other Pakistani actors and Pakistani cricketers? I can still see Fawad Khan's Instagram page," another said.
Much like Arsalan, Pakistani netizens on the other hand not only expressed shock over the sudden action but also elevated it with hilarity. "Is this the war?" a user posed, adding a laughing emoji. "This is a very cheap gesture, honestly," another wrote. Largely, the Pakistani digital world did not seem to rue the action.
The move comes after India restricted access to Pakistani entertainment channels, which sparked confusion online. "Playlists of old shows are available but the ongoing ones can't be accessed," an X user wrote.
The message displayed on YouTube in India reads, "This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order. For more details about government request removals, please visit the Google Transparency Report."
Warfare in entertainment
As of late, Indian celebrities have been vocal in supporting their government's decisions. While in conversation with Indian news agency PTI, screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar shared his opinion on allowing Pakistani artists to work in India, following the Pahalgam attack and resultant political tensions.
"It has been a one-way traffic," Javed said, giving the examples of veterans like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Noor Jehan, and more. "And we gave them a great reception. They were great performers."
He alleged that Lata Mangeshkar, who was once popular across both countries, did not receive the same treatment in Pakistan. "Why was there not a single performance of Lata Mangeshkar in Pakistan? I mean, we have received their artists with open arms, but it was not reciprocated by the establishment."
He added, "I won't complain to the people of Pakistan because they loved her. That's why she was so popular. ... But there was some blockage, and the blockage was the system."
He shared another viewpoint, which he felt was "equally valid". Questioning who's benefiting from the ban on Pakistani artists, he claimed that the ban pleased right-wing fundamentalists in Pakistan who allegedly prefer for their artists to not go to India. "They want the distance because it suits them," he added.
"After whatever has happened recently, they should not even be a topic at the moment. There's hardly any friendly feeling or warmth after what happened in Pahalgam. So this is not the time to even think about it. This could be thought about during better times, and hopefully after some years, some sense will prevail and there will be a better attitude towards India from the establishment of Pakistan."
Pakistani actor Malik Aqeel hit back at the screenwriter for his controversial views. "Javed sahab, some people don't deserve respect, and when we give them too much of it, the result is people like you," Malik wrote on Instagram Stories.
"By the way, why do you even cast Pakistani actors? It seems like you don't have actors like ours. Send yours over and Fawad and Hania can teach them how to act, then you can keep casting your own actors," he concluded.
The memes live on
While political tensions sweep both nations, Pakistani netizens have been taking matters into their own hands by waging meme wars. From cracking jokes about civil inconveniences like gas schedules to advising Indians to leave their electronic devices at home before entering Karachi, the meme-lords have been at the top of their game.
The wisecracks even caught the attention of celebrities, who were quick to offer their nods of approval. "Sorry, India. We don't wage war outside of our caste," a user quipped. "You guys are so not serious," Armeena Khan said in response, punctuating her comment with laughing emojis.
When Aima Baig's sister showed her a meme that suggested the singer would lead the opening ceremony of the war with her performance, the singer's response was, "I mean, I can't deny it. It is funny, though."
Nabeel Zafar weighed in, remarking, "Pakistanis are the only people in the world worried about why a war isn't happening."
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