As Indians throng markets to buy gold and silver on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras on Saturday, Kerala-based jewellery giant Malabar Gold and Diamonds, owned by MP Shamlal Ahamed, is facing widespread calls for a boycott on social media.

Why? Because of the jeweller's promotional collaboration with a London-based Pakistani Instagram influencer who had mocked India's Operation Sindoor. Also Read | Dhanteras 2025: From gold to broom, what’s lucky to buy and what to skip

Here's what happened:

The controversy first began in September when Malabar Gold collaborated with Pakistani influencer Alishba Khalid, who had mocked Op Sindoor as a “cowardly act.”

Film bodies and Indians in general had called for a blanket ban on all Pakistani artists and technicians ever since tensions be

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