India raises strong objection to terminology, reporting bias in BBC's Pahalgam coverage

New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) India has written to a leading British public service broadcaster, raising the country's "strong sentiments" over the BBC's reporting on the Pahalgam terror attack, sources said.

The government also warned the BBC regarding a headline that read, "Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists."

The BBC, in its reporting, referred to Pahalgam as "Indian-administered Kashmir," failing to acknowledge it as an integral part of India, and termed the heinous terror attack as a "militant attack" carried out by "gunmen."

"Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say all three suspects named are members of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). None of the men have commented on the allegations," the BBC report stated.

Several social media users pointed out that the BBC's headline appeared misleading, giving the impression as if "India killed the tourists."

According to the sources, the External Publicity Department of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) conveyed the country's "strong sentiments" to India's Head for BBC, Jackie Martin, regarding the broadcaster's portrayal of the terror incident.

The sources informed that a formal letter has been sent, objecting to the BBC's description of terrorists as "militants." The government will continue to monitor the BBC's coverage.

The objection comes against the backdrop of the brutal attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, where terrorists singled out Hindus and shot them dead.

The attack was later claimed by 'The Resistance Front,' an offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Terrorists had opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran Valley, killing 26 and injuring several others, including a Nepali national. Harrowing visuals from the scene have circulated widely, showing chaos and indiscriminate firing by the attackers.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, calling it "utterly devastating."

Posting on social media, Starmer said, "The horrific terrorist attack in Kashmir is utterly devastating. My thoughts are with those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India."

Meanwhile, the US government also recently criticised a prominent American media organisation for its coverage similar to that of the BBC regarding the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee rebuked The New York Times, accusing it of downplaying the attack by using terms like "militants" and "gunmen" instead of "terrorists."

In a post on X, the Committee posted an image of the original New York Times headline -- "At Least 24 Tourists Gunned Down by Militants in Kashmir" -- with the word "militants" struck out and replaced with "terrorists" in bold red.

"Hey, The New York Times we fixed it for you. This was a TERRORIST ATTACK plain and simple. Whether it's India or Israel, when it comes to TERRORISM the NYT is removed from reality," the Committee posted.

--IANS

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