GUWAHATI: Following the recent ban on several Pakistani celebrities’ Instagram accounts in India, fans of actor Hania Aamir have found ways to bypass restrictions, using virtual private networks (VPNs) to stay connected with the star.
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The development has arrived amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 people dead, including tourists and a local.
The central government, in response to the attack, ordered the geoblocking of Instagram profiles of several well-known Pakistani artists. Among them are Hania Aamir, Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar, and others. Users attempting to access these pages from within India now see a message reading: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
Despite the ban, Indian fans of Hania Aamir have continued to reach out to her using VPNs. Screenshots of these interactions recently went viral, showing fans expressing admiration for the actor. One user wrote, “VPN ka subscription liya hai sirf aapke liye,” to which Hania responded, “Love you.” In another instance, when a fan assured her that Indians were using VPNs, she replied, “Ro doongi.”
However, many others on social media have also criticised the development. A Reddit user expressed frustration over Indians using VPNs to follow a Pakistani celebrity amid diplomatic strain, questioning her silence on terrorism. “Imagine how desperate some people are from our country that they use VPN to go and simp for a Pakistani actress on social media who doesn't care even a bit about our country and refuses to acknowledge the fact that her country harbours terrorists who conduct ghastly attacks on our soil,” the user by the title @SatoruGojo232 posted.
Others echoed the sentiment, calling the act desperate and insensitive given the broader geopolitical context. “Unemployment is a curse,” commented @JesusRao in the same post.
“Simps and incels contribute the most when it comes to ruining India's reputation worldwide,” added @crystal_prism450.
Relatedly, along with social media bans, the Centre has also blocked 16 YouTube channels from Pakistan.