India Continues to Block Pakistani Social Media Accounts, Including Bilawal Bhutto’s

New Delhi, India:India has intensified its crackdown on Pakistani social media accounts, with the latest being the blocking of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s social media accounts. This move follows similar actions against Pakistani leaders and media outlets in the wake of rising tensions between the two nations.

Earlier, Indian authorities blocked the social media accounts of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) department, and several Pakistani media channels, including Geo News and its prominent anchor, Mubashir Lucman. The actions were taken after Pakistan’s strong condemnation of India’s stance on the ongoing tensions over the Indus Waters Treaty.

The recent blockade on Bilawal Bhutto’s social media accounts comes after his outspoken remarks on the contentious issue of the Indus Waters Treaty. In his message to India, Bhutto had warned the Indian government that “the Indus River is ours; either our water will flow, or their blood.” The statement sparked controversy and further escalated the war of words between the two countries.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman criticized India’s move, asserting that the ban on Bilawal’s account exposed India’s fear of the truth. “The Indian government is clearly rattled by the exposure of the truth behind the Pahalgam incident,” she said, referring to the shooting incident in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.

Sindh’s Senior Minister, Sharjeel Memon, called India’s actions “a symbol of cowardice” and “fear” from the Modi government. He further added that blocking Bilawal’s account set a new precedent of suppressing dissenting voices.

In addition to political leaders, many prominent Pakistani celebrities, including actresses Mahira Khan and Hania Amir, as well as athlete Arshad Nadeem, have also had their social media accounts blocked in India. This growing trend has led many to question the state of free speech and media freedom in India, despite its claims of being the world’s largest democracy.

The escalating tensions between Pakistan and India stem from the Pahalgam shooting on April 22, in which 26 people were killed. India quickly blamed Pakistan for the incident, without providing any evidence, and subsequently suspended the Indus Waters Treaty. In response, Pakistan condemned the attack and offered to cooperate in any impartial investigations into the incident.

As the situation continues to evolve, the international community is watching closely to see how the two nuclear-armed neighbors handle the mounting tensions and whether diplomatic solutions can be found to de-escalate the ongoing crisis.