The United States government has criticised The New York Times for its coverage of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people, including a foreign national, were killed.
The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based terror group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, was described by The New York Times as a "militant" attack. In its report, NYT referred to the incident as tourists being gunned down," with the introduction noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had termed it a "terror attack."
The U.S. government's Foreign Affairs Committee publicly responded, criticising the NYT article for mischaracterising the event. In a social media post, the committee labelled the report as "removed from reality" and emphasised that the attack was unequivocally a "terrorist" act.
The post also included a correction to the NYT headline, which read, "At Least 24 Tourists Gunned Down by Militants in Kashmir." It pointed out that the NYT's language failed to reflect the true nature of the attack. The U.S. government added, "Whether it's India or Israel, when it comes to terrorism, the NYT is removed from reality."
Terrorism and militancy are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct terms. Militancy typically refers to the use of force, often armed rebellion or strong pressure, to achieve political or social goals, particularly for resistance or reform. On the other hand, terrorism is the calculated use of violence to create fear in order to achieve political objectives, often targeting civilians, with the aim of disrupting societies and governments.
Meanwhile, the Indian government issued a statement detailing a high-level security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi. The meeting highlighted the attack's cross-border links and noted that it occurred after the successful completion of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, signalling the region's continued progress in terms of security and development.