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The Indian government on Monday pushed back hard against the BBC for the way it reported on the Pahalgam terror attack, saying the broadcaster played down the deadly incident. This comes as tensions between India and Pakistan are already running high after 26 people were killed in the horrifying attack.
India Not Happy With BBC’s Story
The trouble started after the BBC put out a story titled “Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists,” where they described the terrorists simply as “militants.” That choice of words didn’t sit well with New Delhi.
#BREAKING: India asks BBC the country’s strong sentiments to Jackie Martin (India Head, BBC) regarding their reporting on the terror attack. Formal letter written to BBC on terming terrorists as militants. XP Division of India’s MEA will be monitoring the reporting of BBC. pic.twitter.com/9ASO5nTE1w
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) April 28, 2025
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Officials said the External Publicity Department of the Ministry of External Affairs sent a strong message to Jackie Martin, BBC’s India Head, telling her how upset they were about the reporting.
A formal letter was also sent to the BBC about calling the terrorists “militants.” Government sources said they’ll be keeping a close eye on how the BBC covers these kinds of stories moving forward.
On social media too, many people were furious, pointing out that the headline almost made it sound like “India killed the tourists,” which clearly wasn’t the case.
What the BBC Article Actually Said
The BBC article published last week stated:
“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.”
Indian officials believe this kind of wording totally missed the real horror of the attack and sent the wrong message internationally.
Big Crackdown on Pakistani YouTube Channels
At the same time, India isn’t just stopping with complaints to BBC. The government has also banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, which together had a massive audience of over 63 million people.
The channels were blocked based on a recommendation from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Officials said these platforms were being used to spread fake news, disinformation, and propaganda — especially around terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
The banned list includes major news channels like Dawn, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Raftar, Geo News, and Suno News.
It also includes YouTube channels run by popular Pakistani journalists such as Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, and Muneeb Farooq. Other channels that got banned include The Pakistan Reference, Samaa Sports, Uzair Cricket, and Razi Naama.
India and Pakistan Tensions Keep Rising
This crackdown comes on top of several strong steps India has taken against Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack.
New Delhi suspended the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, which deals with sharing river waters between the two countries, and also stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals.
On the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India has banned the 16 Pakistani YouTube channels including Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News, Geo News for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and… pic.twitter.com/AusR1fCkvN
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025
In response, Islamabad said it has the right to suspend all bilateral agreements with India, including the historic Simla Agreement signed in 1972.
With tensions at a high, both countries seem to be digging in their heels — and for now, there’s little sign of things cooling down.
