Amid national mourning and fury over the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 innocent lives of Hindus, Activist and Investigative Reported Vijay Patel took a direct swipe at India’s mainstream media and left-wing portals for offering platforms to Pakistani voices—even as the country reels from terror allegedly backed by forces across the border.
Patel, known for his sharp commentary and investigative fact-checks, publicly slammed Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair on social media platform X, questioning the hypocrisy of platforms that routinely attack Indian media for hosting Pakistani journalists, while their own allied outlets provide space to Pakistan’s top security establishment.
“Hello Mohammed Zubair Fact-Checker, Co-founder of Alt News,” wrote Patel, “why is your sister outfit The Wire giving a platform to the Pakistani NSA? You oppose mainstream media for giving space to Pakistani reporters, but your sister outfit is directly promoting the NSA of Pakistan!”
https://twitter.com/vijaygajera/status/1917780244318073112
This scathing remark came in response to a recent incident where The Wire—a self-proclaimed independent media portal often seen aligning with the ideological left—reportedly provided a platform to the Pakistani National Security Advisor (NSA), Moeed W Yusuf , further stoking outrage just days after a religiously motivated massacre in Kashmir.
The terror attack, which unfolded in the valley of Pahalgam, saw Islamist militants opening fire on a group of tourists after allegedly identifying them as non-Muslims. Multiple sources and eyewitness videos confirmed that the assailants demanded ID cards, stripped victims to check for religious markers, and then executed them—many with point-blank shots.
While social media platforms were flooded with graphic videos and heart-wrenching images—one showing a devastated woman sitting beside her husband’s bloodied body during their honeymoon—The Wire published an article that misquoted the same eyewitness. The report falsely claimed that the woman had suggested her husband was attacked for being a Muslim, directly contradicting the original footage where she clearly feared her husband was targeted because he was not a Muslim. After a severe online backlash, The Wire was forced to amend the report—but the damage was done.
Patel’s rebuke comes at a time when public sentiment is turning sharply against what many see as a pattern among certain digital media outlets—of downplaying Islamist terror while highlighting narratives that suggest communal victimhood selectively. His criticism also aligns with growing calls from civil society demanding media accountability for misreporting that undermines national security and distorts the reality of jihadist violence.
Further, Pahalgam terror attack occurred just days after a video of Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir surfaced, in which he made inflammatory comments targeting Hindus. Critics argue the ideological messaging from the Pakistani establishment is directly influencing radical Islamic terrorist elements in the Kashmir Valley.
The mainstream media’s historical tendency to host Pakistani journalists, many of whom echo anti-India rhetoric, has also come under scrutiny. Analysts point out that while responsible dialogue with foreign voices is necessary in diplomacy, giving space to individuals who deny Pakistan’s role in terrorism or push narratives hostile to India, especially after attacks like Pulwama, Uri, or Pahalgam, amounts to undermining national interests.
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