Govt pulls up BBC for its Pahalgam terror attack reportage: Know why

The government has strongly objected to British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) reportage on the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. At least two Pakistani terrorists were among those who carried out the attack, whose responsibility was claimed by The Resistance Front, a proxy of Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Western media has faced severe criticism in India for trying to downplay the severity of the attack.

The Ministry of External Affairs has written a formal letter to BBC India head Jackie Martin, conveying the country's strong sentiments over the reporting on the Pahalgam terror attack. It objected to the description of terrorists as "militants" in its reporting on the Pahalgam tragedy.

"A formal letter has been sent to the BBC on terming terrorists as militants. The External Publicity Division of the MEA will be monitoring the reporting of the BBC," an official said.

In one news flash, the BBC said, “Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists”. This was flagged by the government as objectionable.

“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,” it said in the story.

In a previous report, the British broadcaster referred to the attackers as “gunmen”. The headline read: ‘More than 20 killed after gunmen open fire on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.’

Meanwhile, the government also blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating "false, provocative and communally sensitive content" about India. The move follows recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs in the wake of the April 22 terror attack.

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

The government has also blocked a message doing the rounds on WhatsApp terming it as "misleading". The message talked about the contribution of one rupee every day for "modernisation of the Indian Army and for soldiers who are injured or martyred in the war zone".