Manish Malhotra Deletes Mahira and Hania—Because Couture Clearly Has Borders Now
Who Knew Couture Came with National Boundaries?
Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra has removed Instagram posts featuring Pakistani actresses Mahira Khan and Hania Aamir amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
In a plot twist no one asked for, Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra has decided that glamour, much like politics, should now come with a visa stamp.
The celebrated couturier quietly deleted Instagram posts featuring Pakistani actresses Mahira Khan and Hania Aamir—because nothing says “timeless fashion” like timely erasure. Apparently, cross-border collaboration is out, and selective memory is in.
Instagram has also restricted access to the accounts of several Pakistani celebrities, including Mahira Khan and Hania Aamir, for users in India, displaying the message: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content”.
These measures reflect a wider Indian government strategy to curb soft engagement with Pakistan in response to national security concerns, extending beyond social media to include bans on Pakistani YouTube channels and other cultural content.
Manish Malhotra’s removal of posts featuring Pakistani actresses is part of a larger pattern of cultural disengagement linked to the geopolitical conflict between the two countries
