Muslim cleric killed in cross-border shelling wrongly labelled as 'Terrorist' by news channels
New Delhi: Several national television channels have come under sharp criticism for wrongly identifying a Muslim cleric, killed in cross-border shelling by Pakistan, as a “terrorist”. The inaccurate reports have triggered widespread outrage on social media and among fact-checkers.
The victim, Qari Muhammad Iqbal, was an Islamic scholar and seminary teacher from Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir. He lost his life on Tuesday during Pakistani shelling across the Line of Control (LoC). Qari Iqbal had been associated with Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch, where he had been teaching for over ten years.
Despite this, prominent Hindi news channels such as ABP News and Zee News aired reports claiming that a “terrorist” was killed in an Indian air strike, using Qari Iqbal’s image and name—without verification. The reports were later challenged by several independent media platforms and fact-checkers.
Kashmiri news outlet The Kashmiriyat clarified that Qari Iqbal was among the civilian casualties in the shelling and not involved in any terrorist activities. Their report included his name in the official list of civilians who died in the unprovoked attack from across the border.
Criticising the misleading coverage, Mohammad Zubair of Alt News wrote on social media platform X, “This is a shameful thing by Indian news channels. Mohammad Iqbal, a Qari from Poonch, India, has died in Pakistani shelling. He is being portrayed as a 'terrorist' (in the media).”
The incident has sparked fresh concerns about the lack of verification and sensitivity in television news reporting, particularly in conflict-related coverage. It has also raised questions about the impact such misreporting can have on the families of victims and the wider community.
This is shameful by Indian News Channels. Qari Mohammad Iqbal from poonch, India was killed yesterday in shelling from Pakistan is being portrayed as a 'terrorist' in multiple national Indian news channels. pic.twitter.com/8yXkUaJswd
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) May 8, 2025
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
