New Delhi:
The New York Times has faced criticism from the US government for its coverage of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 individuals, including a foreign national, were killed after being questioned about their allegiance to Islam.
The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based terror outfit affiliated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, was labeled as a “militant” attack by The New York Times. The report also stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the incident as a “terror attack”.
US Government Calls Out NYT for Terror Reporting
The US Foreign Affairs Committee took to social media to publicly criticize The New York Times article for being “disconnected from reality”. The NYT headline read ‘At Least 24 Tourists Gunned Down by Militants in Kashmir’.
“This was a terrorist attack, plain and simple,” noted the US government, adding that “Whether it’s India or Israel, when it comes to terrorism, the NYT is disconnected from reality.”
The post also shared a photo with a correction made on behalf of NYT, stating, “Hey, NYT, we fixed it for you.”
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. pic.twitter.com/7PefEKMtdq
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) April 23, 2025
Difference Between Militancy and Terrorism
Militancy typically refers to an armed uprising within a State to achieve a political or social goal, while terrorism has an external context where calculated violence instills fear in a specific region to wage asymmetrical warfare against a foreign nation with the aim of destabilizing the area for a larger objective.
India, in a statement on Wednesday, highlighted the cross-border connections of the terrorist attack during a security meeting chaired by the prime minister. It was noted that the attack occurred after successful elections in the Union Territory and its progress towards economic growth and development.
‘Double-Standards’ in Media Coverage
The Lashkar-e-Taiba, including its offshoot The Resistance Front, is recognized as a UN-designated terrorist organization, yet western media often label acts of terrorism as “shootings” or “militant” incidents, according to analysts.
Pakistan has engaged in “cross-border terrorism” against India for years, attributing it to “non-State actors” as a form of proxy warfare. Despite evidence shared by India, Pakistan has not cooperated with investigations.
Analysts have criticized the western media for its “double-standards” in reporting on Kashmir. While the media describes Russia’s actions in Ukraine as “invasion”, the situation in Kashmir is often portrayed as a “dispute” rather than Pakistan’s invasion of Indian territory.
The Invasion of Jammu and Kashmir
In 1947, during the Partition of India, two nations emerged – India, which remained secular, and Pakistan, founded on the two-nation theory advocating a separate nation for Muslims.
The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Northern Areas now known as Gilgit-Baltistan, joined India through the instrument of accession. Pakistan, based on the two-nation theory, claimed that the Muslim-majority state should belong to them.
Following the invasion orchestrated by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan illegally occupied regions now referred to as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Gilgit-Baltistan, leading to an armed conflict between India and Pakistan.
