The Indian government has expressed strong objections to the BBC’s coverage of the recent Pahalgam terror attack, specifically criticizing an article titled “Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack.”

The piece referred to the incident as a “militant attack,” prompting the Indian government to send a formal letter to the BBC’s India head, Jackie Martin.

In this letter, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs indicated that it would be closely monitoring the BBC’s reporting in the future.

Reports showed that the External Publicity and Public Diplomacy Division of the Indian Foreign Ministry communicated its discontent to Martin regarding the portrayal of the attack.

The BBC article, published last week, stated: “Pakistan has responded with tit-for-tat measures against India as tensions soared following a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists.”

This comes shortly after the US Senate panel criticized The New York Times for labeling the attackers as “militants,” arguing that such terminology downplays the severity of the terror attack.

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee publicly rebuked the newspaper for its language, replacing “militants” with “terrorists” in a post on X, insisting the term accurately reflects the nature of the attack.

In response to the Pahalgam incident, the Indian government has also taken steps to curb misinformation, resulting in the banning of 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, which collectively had 63 million subscribers.

Notably, former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s channel, with 3.5 million subscribers, is among those affected.

Read more

India bans over 16 Pakistani YouTube channels after Pahalgam attack

India suspends Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, shuts Attari border post

Iran proposes mediation to ease India, Pakistan relations