The horrific Pakistan-backed Islamist terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region has left 27 innocent Hindus dead—among them women, children, and an Indian Navy officer who had just been married. And yet, as bodies are cremated and families weep for their loved ones, the response from many Western media outlets has been disgracefully muted, evasive, and, worse, misleading.
Instead of calling the perpetrators what they are—Islamist jihadist terrorists—many outlets chose euphemisms like “gunmen” and “militants.” Instead of acknowledging that the victims were Hindus targeted in a religiously motivated attack, the media broadly described them as “tourists,” obscuring both the identity of the victims and the ideological motivations behind the attack.
One might ask: Why such linguistic gymnastics? Why does Western media, quick to spotlight religious violence in some contexts, suddenly lose its vocabulary when Hindus are the victims?
An outfit linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) known as The Resistance Front (TRF) has taken responsibility for the attack. This confirms not only the religious ideology behind the massacre but also the terror network that orchestrated it—one that operates with known links to Pakistan’s intelligence services (ISI).
Adding to this was a predictable ploy from the toolkit of Islamist terrorists: the attempt to reframe the narrative by claiming the attack was aimed at Indian army or intelligence officials, not civilians. Fake news began circulating online, pushed by secessionist sympathisers, suggesting that a large contingent of IB officials were attacked in Pahalgam.
Yet, despite the clear patterns, the Western press refused to connect the dots. This isn’t just bad journalism—it’s morally bankrupt storytelling that wilfully ignores facts to fit a distorted, and frankly dangerous, narrative.
Dr Kiran Mahale, in an open letter posted on social media, rightly called out this misleading framing, particularly objecting to their use of the phrase “disputed Himalayan region” or “India administered”in reference to Jammu and Kashmir. “This terminology,” Dr Mahale wrote, “is factually incorrect and highly misleading. The region in question is an integral and sovereign part of the Republic of India.” He demanded an apology and immediate correction, reminding the news outlets of its duty to uphold journalistic integrity.
Likewise, well-known academic and columnist Prof. Om Dwivedi condemned the coverage as “shameful and disgusting,” saying of the Sydney Morning Herald,
“You all seem to be emptied of even a grain of humanity. This is not journalism, this is demonstration of apathy, inhumanity and cowardice.”
Adding his voice to the growing outrage, Deepak-Raj Gupta OAM, Chairman of the Australia India Business Council (AIBC), issued a powerful statement: “I strongly condemn the barbaric and cowardly attack on innocent Hindus/ civilians in Palagaoun in Jammu & Kashmir. This despicable act of violence against peaceful civilians is utterly unacceptable. Targeting individuals based on their faith is an affront to humanity, and those responsible must be held to account.”
Their criticisms speak to a broader pattern—Western media’s selective blindness when Hindus are massacred, especially when the killers are Islamist radicals. There seems to be a calculated effort to avoid upsetting certain geopolitical sensitivities or ideological sympathies, even if it means trivialising terror and erasing the identities of its victims.
In doing so, they fail not just their readers but also the fundamental ethics of journalism—truth, accuracy, fairness, and humanity.
What the world witnessed in Pahalgam was not a random act of violence. It was a religiously targeted massacre carried out by terrorists operating with support from across the border. Refusing to name this reality only empowers such ideologies and dishonours the lives lost.
Western media must confront its double standards and ask: If not now, when? If not this, what qualifies as terrorism? And if these victims were not worthy of clear, honest reporting, who is?
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
