New Delhi: India has formally expressed its "strong sentiments" to a prominent British public service broadcaster regarding its coverage of the Pahalgam terror attack, sources revealed.
The government also issued a warning to the BBC over a headline that read, "Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists."
In its reporting, the BBC referred to Pahalgam as "Indian-administered Kashmir", neglecting to recognise it as an integral part of India, and described the 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".
Sources indicate that the External Publicity Department of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has conveyed India's "strong sentiments" to Jackie Martin, India's Head for BBC, regarding the broadcaster's portrayal of the Pahalgam terror attack.
A formal letter has been sent, objecting to the BBC's use of the term "militants" to describe the terrorists involved.
The government plans to closely monitor the BBC's coverage moving forward.
This objection arises in the context of the brutal attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where terrorists targeted Hindus and shot them dead.
The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, later claimed responsibility for the attack.
The terrorists targeted a group of tourists in the Baisaran Valley, resulting in the deaths of 26 individuals and injuries to several others, including a Nepali national. Disturbing visuals from the scene have widely circulated, capturing the chaos and indiscriminate firing by the attackers.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident, describing it as "utterly devastating".
Posting on social media, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated, "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 recently criticised a prominent American media organisation for its coverage, which mirrored the BBC's approach to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee rebuked The New York Times, accusing it of minimising the attack by using terms like "militants" and "gunmen" instead of "terrorists".
In a post on X, the Committee shared 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.
(inputs from IANS)