Pahalgam attack: Govt writes to BBC, voices strong protest against coverage

The Government of India on Monday voiced a stern objection to the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) coverage of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people. In a news article titled "Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack," the BBC referred to the terror attack as a "militant attack". 

In a formal letter to the BBC, the government also said that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is going to monitor its reporting going ahead.

The MEA's External Publicity and Public Diplomacy Division has "conveyed the country's strong sentiments to Jackie Martin (India Head, BBC) regarding their reporting on the terror attack," India Today reported. 

"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," BBC's article published last week read. 

The development comes after Trump administration called out The New York Times for referring to Pahalgam terrorists as "militants" in their reporting.

In a post on X, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee accused the NYT of downplaying the incident by using terms such as "militants" and "gunmen" instead of "terrorists". 

"Hey, @nytimes 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 said in its post on X.

Meanwhile, the government has also blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content as well as peddling false and misleading narratives against India, its Army and security agencies. 

As per officials, the decision was taken on the recommendations of the Union Home Ministry. 

The YouTube channels that have been blocked are: Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Referenc, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News and Razi Naama.