New Delhi, 1 May

Instagram accounts of popular Pakistani actors Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, Sanam Saeed, and Ali Zafar have been blocked in India following a "legal request" in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.

"Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content": this message was displayed when users in India tried to access the pages of these artistes.

Tensions escalated between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the 22 April terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.

Instagram accounts of Pakistani actors Bilal Abbas, lqra Aziz, Ayeza Khan, Imran Abbas and Sajal Aly have also been blocked.

The release of 'Abir Gulaal', a film starring Pakistani star Fawad Khan, is also in limbo following the attack. The Instagram account of Fawad Khan, however, continues to be accessible by Indian users.

Instagram accounts of singers Atif Aslam, Farhan Saeed, Ali Sethi, Shafqat Amanat Ali, actors Mawra Hocane, best known for her Bollywood debut with 2016's 'Sanam Teri Kasam', Saba Qamar ('Hindi Medium'), Adnan Siddiqui ('Mom'), Hamza Ali Abbasi, Veena Malik of 'Bigg Boss' fame, 'Churails' stars Sarwat Gilani, Mehar Bano, Nimra Bucha, and Yasra Rizvi, also continue to be active.