Updated April 28th 2025, 13:58 IST
In a strong move reflecting the nation’s outrage, the Indian government has formally reprimanded the BBC for its biased and misleading coverage of the recent dastardly terror attack at Baisaran meadows in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam which resulted in the brutal killing of 26 innocent tourists.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has sent a strongly worded letter to Jackie Martin, BBC’s India Operations Head, condemning the media house’s choice of words in referring to the coward terrorists responsible for the attack as ‘militants’ in an attempt to downplay the brutality of the massacre and the crystal clear role of Pakistan is harbouring them. The government has also reportedly warned the London-based British Broadcasting Corporation over its future reportage stating it will be closely monitored.
In one of its article titled as - ‘Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack’ – BBC chose to refer to the Pahalgam terror attack as a ‘militant’. The UK-based media outlet is facing massive backlash for its double-standards in whitewashing Pakistan-sponsored terrorism on Indian soil and distorting the ground realities in Kashmir.
What came as more disgraceful, the BBC in the article has 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.” The biased news piece also mentioned that the brutal killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam was executed by a ‘group of gunmen'
Here is how BBC reported on Pahalgam terror attack: Check below
However, this is not an isolated incident. Time and again, the BBC and several other Western media houses have shown a very evident bias when reporting on India, particularly on Kashmir-related issues.
BBC’s consistent narrative on Kashmir has always appears more aligned with anti-India lobbies. From subtly parroting Pakistan's propaganda to peddling false news about unrest in Kashmir valley post the abrogation of Article 370 back in 2019, BBC’s coverage has repeatedly come under fire for manipulating facts, downplaying terrorism, and amplifying separatist voices.
While Western media like BBC continue to doublespeak choosing to downplay the reality over truth on ground, governments across the world and its leaders have unequivocally condemned the Pahalgam massacre as a heinous act of terror.
From subtly parroting Pakistan's propaganda to selectively highlighting unrest in Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370 back in 2019, the coverage of BBC has repeatedly come under fire for manipulating facts, downplaying terrorism, and turning up separatist voices.
In addition to being criticised for its editorial bias, BBC India’s operations have also been under investigation for some time now. An investigation led by Enforcement Directorate into BBC is still underway for its alleged violations of foreign exchange rules. This followed a controversial BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which the Centre denounced as ‘colonial propaganda’ aimed at undermining India’s sovereignty.
The central government's strong stance against BBC is being hailed as a necessary step to call out the double standards of western media houses. As Indians stand hand in hand in mourning the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, PM Modi-led government, by Taking BBC to task for peddling misinformation, has made it clear that it won’t tolerate any force to undermine the fight against cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.
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Published April 28th 2025, 13:48 IST