The Hindu American Basis (HAF) has sharply condemned what it calls a “shameful and deliberate erasure” by main Western media shops within the aftermath of the April 22 terror assault in Pahalgam, Kashmir, the place 26 Hindu vacationers have been executed in chilly blood by terrorists affiliated with The Resistance Entrance—a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy backed by Pakistan.“Let’s get this straight,” stated Suhag Shukla, Government Director of the Hindu American Basis, in a scathing rebuke of worldwide media protection following the April 22, 2025, terror assault in Pahalgam. “Terrorists from the Resistance Entrance, a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot, took credit score for storming a meadow in Pahalgam and murdering at the least 26 vacationers, looking for out Hindus with chilling precision, within the worst civilian bloodbath in Kashmir since 2008.”In response to Shukla, the headlines ought to have written themselves: Hindus massacred in Kashmir by Islamists in a terror assault claimed by a Pakistan-backed group. However as a substitute, Western media shops like The New York Instances, Washington Submit, CNN, BBC, Reuters, and AP delivered “one other masterclass in whitewashing, gaslighting, false equivalencies, and revisionist historical past.”“Throughout the board, you’ll see patronising sneer quotes round ‘terror assault’ and sanitised references to the killers as militants,” she stated. “Some even have the gall to name them rebels. For the file: a insurgent fights authority, a militant targets the state, and a terrorist intentionally targets and kills civilians to unfold worry for ideological or spiritual goals.”Shukla citing survivor accounts to focus on the ideological nature of the killings. “Terrorists demanded victims determine their faith—forcing them to indicate IDs or recite the Kalma—and murdered them in the event that they have been Hindu. They intentionally spared their wives and youngsters to report the message of hate.”What particularly enraged Shukla was the BBC’s description of the victims as “non-Muslims.” “The intent right here is as clear as it’s previous: goal, homicide, and terrorise Hindus for an ideological and non secular warfare. Please spare us the impartial phrases and erasure.”For Shukla, the Pahalgam bloodbath suits right into a broader sample of anti-Hindu violence in Kashmir—one which media shops routinely downplay or ignore. “Assaults on Hindus in Kashmir by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are neither uncommon nor random,” she stated, referencing the ethnic cleaning of over 350,000 Kashmiri Pandits within the late ’80s and ’90s and the deaths of Hindu pilgrims at websites like Amarnath and Vaishno Devi since 2000.Shukla additionally identified the authorized discrimination Kashmiri Hindus confronted earlier than Article 370 was revoked in 2019. “Earlier than then, indigenous Hindu Pandits—already ethnically cleansed—have been legally barred from reclaiming property. Kashmiri ladies couldn’t cross property to their youngsters in the event that they married outsiders. Indians from outdoors the area couldn’t settle there. And but AP and Reuters describe these looking for to return as ‘outsiders’? Would they name a Californian transferring to Pennsylvania an immigrant?”Citing the operational ties between Lashkar-e-Taiba and The Resistance Entrance, she reminded audiences that this was not rogue violence. “Pakistan’s intelligence company bankrolls, trains and directs them. TRF’s Falcon Squad is educated in L.E.T. camps in Pakistan. Their propaganda machine runs on L.E.T. networks—all to push Islamabad’s anti-Indian, anti-Hindu agenda.”Shukla identified in a remaining indictment, “Legacy media’s whitewashing and spin don’t simply insult the victims. It permits the very forces behind these atrocities. In case you can’t name out terror for what it’s, possibly you shouldn’t be reporting on it in any respect.”International ReactionsWorldwide condemnation poured in after the April 22, 2025, bloodbath in Pahalgam, the place 26 Hindu vacationers have been executed by terrorists from The Resistance Entrance. Leaders throughout the globe strongly denounced the assault, with many expressing solidarity with India and the victims’ households.US President Donald Trump referred to as the incident “an act of savage hatred” and declared, “The US stands sturdy with India towards terrorism. Prime Minister Modi, and the folks of India, have our full assist and deepest sympathies.”US Vice President JD Vance, who was in India on the time of the assault, issued a somber assertion describing the bloodbath as “an unspeakable atrocity.” He added that the terrorists’ deliberate concentrating on of Hindus was “a reminder that spiritual persecution stays one of many gravest threats to international peace.”From Capitol Hill, members of the Congressional Hindu Caucus condemned each the assault and the dearth of readability in worldwide media reporting. Consultant Tulsi Kapoor acknowledged, “This isn’t only a terror assault—it’s an anti-Hindu hate crime. The world should name it by its identify.”The Home International Affairs Committee Majority took direct goal at Western media protection, notably The New York Instances, saying: “Hey, @nytimes, we fastened it for you. This was a TERRORIST ATTACK, plain and easy. Whether or not it’s India or Israel, in terms of TERRORISM, the NYT is faraway from actuality.”In an sudden transfer, even the Taliban condemned the killings. A spokesperson referred to as the assault on civilians “un-Islamic” and stated that intentionally concentrating on harmless vacationers based mostly on faith was “not permissible below any circumstance.” World wide, leaders echoed comparable sentiments. French President Emmanuel Macron labelled it a “heinous act of terror.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the killings as “an assault on humanity.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz referred to as it a “cowardly act,” whereas Israeli International Minister Gideon Saar stated, “Terrorism that targets religion has no place in our world.”Leaders from China, Australia, Nepal, and the European Union additionally issued statements condemning the bloodbath, with many affirming their dedication to counter-terrorism cooperation with India.India’s ResponseIn India, the assault has triggered each nationwide mourning and geopolitical penalties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the bloodbath as “against the law towards humanity” and vowed a “sturdy and measured response.”The Ministry of Exterior Affairs summoned Pakistan’s envoy and suspended cooperation below the Indus Waters Treaty—India’s most important diplomatic weapon towards Islamabad wanting warfare. Dwelling Minister Amit Shah chaired an emergency safety evaluate and pledged to accentuate counter-terror operations in Kashmir.Learn: Should-read tales from TOIA Path of Horror: Eyewitness AccountsThe assault within the picturesque meadow of Baisaran, 5km from Pahalgam, has turn out to be one of many bloodiest civilian massacres in Jammu & Kashmir in over a decade. Survivor testimonies reveal a grim sample: names, spiritual symbols, and even dietary decisions turned markers for dying.Florida-based techie Bitan Adhikary was gunned down in entrance of his household when he couldn’t “show” he was Muslim. His widow, Sohini Adhikary, stated their trip became a nightmare of gunfire and screams.One other sufferer, Bengaluru techie Bharath Bhushan, was executed after merely stating his identify. “My identify is Bharath,” he informed the attackers. That was sufficient.Assam professor Debasish Bhattacharya, whose educational fluency in Islamic scripture saved his life, recalled: “Overwhelmed by worry, I started chanting the kalma. After just a few moments, the gunman lowered his weapon and we escaped by means of the forest.”In different instances, sheer likelihood performed saviour. A Kerala household delayed their journey as a result of a salty lunch and missed the ambush totally. Landslides, horse delays, and missed flights spared dozens of others. One couple, newly married and denied a Swiss visa, selected Kashmir for his or her honeymoon—just for Himanshi to return alone, dazed and bloodied beside the corpse of her husband Lt Vinay Narwal.
