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News18
30-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
Terrorists Vs Militants: What's The Difference And Why Foreign Media's Pahalgam Coverage Has Sparked Row
Last Updated: Militants may use violence as part of their strategy without aiming to terrorise civilians, whereas terrorists deliberately target non-combatants to coerce governments or societies The BBC is facing criticism over its coverage of the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir on April 22, in which 26 people died. The issue is gaining momentum after the Centre formally objected to the media outlet's use of the term 'militants" instead of 'terrorists" in reporting. As per sources quoted by media, the government will be 'monitoring further reporting by BBC". What Has The Centre Told The BBC? As per reports, the government has issued a formal letter to the BBC, expressing strong disapproval of its reporting of the Pahalgam carnage, and its description of terrorists as militants. News agency PTI reported that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) communicated India's strong sentiments to Jackie Martin, BBC's India Head, regarding the network's coverage of the Pahalgam incident. '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 was quoted as saying by PTI. News18 asked AI about the difference between a terrorist and a militant, and here's what it said. Militants are particularly seen engaged with state forces or in armed insurgency, whereas terrorists typically target non-combatants civilians to instil fear in them. Usually, militants avoid using politically charged labels and negative legal statuses. Terrorists, on the other hand, are designated under a group, which can have significant legal and diplomatic consequences. In conclusion, the key difference between terrorists and militants lies in intent: militants may use violence as part of their strategy without aiming to terrorise civilians, whereas terrorists deliberately target non-combatants to coerce governments or societies. Understand Militancy And Terrorism In Legal Contexts As per Merriam-Webster, a militant is someone 'having or showing a desire or willingness to use strong, extreme, and sometimes forceful methods to achieve something," such as militant protesters. They may be part of armed resistance, like insurgencies, without the primary aim of terrorizing. A terrorist, however, is specifically a practitioner of terrorism, defined by Merriam-Webster. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) clarifies that international terrorism involves violent acts inspired by foreign terrorist organisations. While domestic terrorism stems from domestic ideological goals, both often targeting civilians to instil fear. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, defines a terrorist as someone acting with intent to threaten India's unity, integrity, or security, or to strike terror in people. It also says terrorist intend to intimidate the public and disturb the public order. Subjectivity And Controversy The classification of militants and terrorists is controversial and subjective. For instance, the BBC avoids calling Hamas militants 'terrorists" to maintain impartiality. In the Pahalgam attack, it has been seen how media and governments may label actors based on agendas as the perpetrators have been referred to as 'militants" instead of 'terrorists". The BBC report titled 'Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists" referred to the attackers as 'militants." This terminology was perceived by the Indian government as an attempt to downplay the severity of the incident and avoid labelling it as a terrorist attack. Critics, including the Hindu American Foundation and Indian media outlets, accused the BBC and other Western media of 'whitewashing" the attack by using terms like 'militants" instead of 'terrorists." They argued that the choice of language minimised the religious and ideological motivations behind the attack and portrayed the perpetrators in a less negative light. The New York Times faced similar criticism for its coverage, leading the US Foreign Affairs Committee to publicly correct the newspaper's terminology of the word 'militants" in a news article on the Pahalgam attack instead of 'terrorists". The New York Times said: 'At Least 24 Tourists Gunned Down by Militants in Kashmir'. Quoting the screenshot of the same, America's Foreign Affairs Committee said, 'Hey, @nytimes 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". BBC's Earlier Controversies In India Before the current controversy surrounding the Pahalgam terror attack coverage, the BBC faced criticism in 2023 when the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the media outlet. The notice was based on a suit filed by a Gujarat-based NGO, which alleged that the BBC's documentary 'India: The Modi Question" defamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian judiciary. The BBC defended the film, saying it 'was rigorously researched according to the highest editorial standards", while the Indian government dismissed the documentary as 'propaganda" and a product of the 'colonial mindset". In January of that year, the BJP government directed video-sharing platform YouTube to remove the documentary and asked Twitter to remove related posts. In February, the Supreme Court rejected a public interest litigation that sought a ban on the BBC in India, calling the petition 'completely misconceived". The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also initiated a FEMA investigation against BBC India in April 2023, following findings from the Income Tax Department's three-day survey at the broadcaster's offices in Delhi and other cities in February that year. Pakistani Channels Banned In India top videos View all In view of the Pahalgam carnage, the Indian government has blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading provocative, communally sensitive, and misleading narratives against India, its Army, and security forces. The blocked YouTube channels include: Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Referenc, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News, and Razi Naama. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : BBC News18 Explains Pahalgam attack Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: April 30, 2025, 09:16 IST News explainers Terrorists Vs Militants: What's The Difference And Why Foreign Media's Pahalgam Coverage Has Sparked Row
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Govt blocks 16 Pak YouTube channels, pulls up BBC
NEW DELHI: The govt has blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels - including those operated by leading media networks like Geo News, Samaa TV and Dawn News - for "disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content" and putting out a misleading narrative against India and its security establishment in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. It also cracked down on two misleading social media posts, including one related to a BBC report referring to terrorists behind the Pahalgam carnage as "militants". BBC report on Pahalgam termed LeT 'militant' grp Sources told TOI that the govt has shot off a letter to BBC against the social media post. An additional secretary-level officer of XP division conveyed India's strong sentiments to Jackie Martin, BBC's India head, against the alleged indiscretion, an officer told TOI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo "XP division will be monitoring the reporting of BBC," the officer added. The BBC report, titled 'Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists ', had also termed LeT a "militant" group and cited video clips allegedly showing Kashmiri students being harassed in other states, while admitting that it could not independently verify any of these clips. Among the Pakistani YouTube channels no longer available for viewing in India are Dawn News, Samaa TV, Geo News, Samaa Sports, Irshad Bhatti, ARY News, BOL News, Raftar, Suno News HD, The Pakistan Reference, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq and Razi Naama. These handles together have over 63 million subscribers, with Geo News alone boasting of 18.1 million subscribers, ARY TV of 14.6 million, Samaa TV of 12.7 million, BOL News of 7.85 million, GNN of 3.5 million and Dawn News of 1.9 million. It falsely claims that Modi govt has, based on a cabinet decision, opened an account for modernisation of Indian Army and for soldiers who are injured or martyred.
Express Tribune
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
India bans Pak TV channels, YouTubers
Youtube okay use of AI amid increasing use for content creations. PHOTO: PIXABAY In its growing sense of frustration, India on Monday launched a sweeping crackdown on social media, banning more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading "provocative" content following an attack in Kashmir. The banned platforms include the YouTube channels of Pakistani news outlets as well as individuals. The sites were blocked in India on Monday, with a message reading it was due to an "order from the government related to national security or public order". The Press Trust of India news agency, which listed 16 channels, cited a government statement saying they were blocked for "disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India". The ban follows the deadly April 22 shooting that targeted tourists in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Twenty-six men were killed in the attack, the worst on civilians in the contested region for a quarter of a century. Immediately after the attack, India put the blame on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any role in the attack while calling for an independent inquiry into the incident. Meanwhile, the BBC's coverage of the Kashmir terror attack last week has also come under criticism from the Indian government, which has formally written to its operations head, sources familiar with the situation told RT. The sources said New Delhi expressed its strong reservations to the channel after it referred to "terrorists" as "militants" in a TV report. The government, through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), approached BBC India head Jackie Martin to convey its concerns. The sources added that the MEA's External Publicity and Public Diplomacy (XP) Division has been tasked with monitoring the BBC's future reporting. The Indian government has also flagged the use of the word "militants" in an article on the BBC website entitled: 'Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists'. Similar concerns were raised against other international news outlets such as AP and Reuters, according to the sources. They said the MEA is expected to monitor their reportage and flag anything which it finds downplays the severity of the situation, or is factually incorrect. Earlier, the Indian information ministry also issued an advisory notice on Saturday calling on journalists and social media users to "exercise utmost responsibility" while reporting on matters "concerning defence and other security related operations". The advisory note, which cited previous cases of conflict with Pakistan including fighting in 1999 at Kargil, warned that "premature disclosure of sensitive information may inadvertently assist hostile elements and endanger operational effectiveness". Indian social media accounts have also been awash with hateful comments on the killings at Pahalgam, with hashtags including #WarWithPakistan and #FinishPakistan trending on social media platform X.
Economic Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
India bans 16 Pakistani YouTube channels
The Indian government has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading provocative content and misinformation against India, its Army, and security agencies, particularly following the Pahalgam incident. Channels like Dawn News, Ary News, and Geo News are among those blocked. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads In a fresh crackdown on social media sites from Pakistan, the government has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube action, initiated on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), came after the YouTube channels were found disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India , the Army and security agencies following the Pahalgam TRF first claimed responsibility for the attack, but later withdrew it. The YouTube channels banned include Dawn News, Ary News and Geo News, Samaa Sports, The Pakistan Reference, among Centre also conveyed its strong sentiment to Jackie Martin, India head of BBC, regarding their reporting on the terror attack, officials said. In a letter to BBC for terming 'terrorists' as 'militants', they added the government has given a stern warning and informed the publication that MEA is closely monitoring the reporting of BBC on the terror Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Basit Ali's YouTube channels have also been blocked in India. On WhatsApp, a message is going around claiming that the government has opened a bank account for the modernisation of Army. The defence ministry has stated that this a misleading claim.
Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
BBC under fire for calling Kashmir terrorists ‘militants'
The Indian government has complained to the BBC for calling the attackers in last week's Kashmir massacre 'militants' rather than 'terrorists'. In a letter to Jackie Martin, head of BBC India, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said it objected to the corporation's reporting of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam which left 26 people dead. 'A formal letter has been sent to the BBC on the terming of terrorists as militants. The external publicity division of the MEA will be monitoring the reporting of the BBC,' an official told The Telegraph. The BBC has previously come under fire from the Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, particularly over its coverage of human rights and minority issues. In January 2023, the corporation broadcast a documentary featuring criticism of Mr Modi's actions as chief minister of state during the 2002 Gujarat riots, during which around 800 Muslims were killed. In response, the government invoked emergency laws to prevent the programme from being shown in India. Authorities ordered Twitter and YouTube to take down links and posts about the film – called India: The Modi Question – and branded it a 'propaganda piece' made with a 'colonial mindset'. A month later, tax officials raided the corporation's New Delhi offices, which led to the BBC restructuring its Indian operations.
