New Delhi: The Central government has written a formal letter to the BBC, conveying India’s ‘strong sentiments’ over the British public service broadcaster’s Pahalgam terror attack reportage where terms like ‘militants’ were used.
The government also warned the BBC regarding the 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.
