The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has strongly criticized the lack of honest reporting by major Western media following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. In this tragic incident, 26 Hindu tourists were brutally killed by members of the Resistance Front (TRF), a terror outfit backed by Pakistan and closely linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Suhag Shukla, Executive Director of HAF, expressed outrage at how leading outlets like The New York Times, CNN, BBC, and Reuters chose language that downplayed the brutality. Instead of calling it terrorism, many opted for euphemisms like “militants” or “rebels.” According to Shukla, this is not just irresponsible journalism—it’s erasure. She emphasized that survivors confirmed the attackers specifically targeted Hindus, asking victims to reveal their religion through identification or religious recitations before executing them.
Shukla noted this event continues a pattern of anti-Hindu violence in the region, citing past attacks on Amarnath and Vaishno Devi pilgrims, as well as the 1980s exodus of over 350,000 Kashmiri Pandits. Before Article 370 was revoked in 2019, Kashmiri Hindus faced legal restrictions that barred them from reclaiming property or even passing it to children if married outside the region.
The attack drew strong reactions globally. US President Donald Trump labeled the incident “an act of savage hatred” and expressed full solidarity with India. Vice President JD Vance, who was visiting India at the time, called it “an unspeakable atrocity” and a stark reminder of the dangers of religious persecution.
Lawmakers in the US, including the Congressional Hindu Caucus, criticized both the attack and the way it was reported. Even the Taliban condemned the massacre, calling it a violation of Islamic principles. World leaders from France, the UK, Germany, and Israel also voiced condemnation, with many pledging continued counter-terrorism support to India.
India responded firmly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed retaliation, and the Ministry of External Affairs suspended cooperation with Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty. Survivors’ accounts painted a haunting picture of the attack’s ideological motives, and many blamed Pakistan’s intelligence agency for supporting such acts through its proxies.
