Indian Seminary Teacher Killed In Pakistan Shelling, Falsely Branded ‘Terrorist’ By National Media
Srinagar: A civilian killed in Pakistani shelling in Poonch has been falsely identified as a terrorist by several Indian national news channels, drawing sharp criticism from fact-checkers and locals. Qari Mohammad Iqbal, a respected Islamic scholar and teacher at Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch’s Baila area, died during ongoing cross-border shelling on Tuesday.
However, leading channels such as ABP News, Zee News, Republic TV, and CNN-News18 inaccurately reported him as a “terrorist” allegedly neutralised by Indian airstrikes, despite the absence of any official confirmation.
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CNN-News18 claimed that Iqbal, a teacher for 25 years, was a Lashkar terrorist, a religious preacher and a “radicaliser”. While anchor Rahul Shivshankar mentioned that there was no official confirmation about the incident, the news channel nevertheless went ahead with misreporting and airing false claims.
Meanwhile, Republic World went further and claimed that Iqbal was a “top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander” who was “involved in major terrorist attacks, including Pulwama”.
Republic World’s video dubbing Qari Iqbal as a “Lashkar-e-Taiba commander.”
Fact-checker Mohammed Zubair flagged the misinformation and called it a “shameful” example of media irresponsibility. “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,” he wrote.
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
Qari Iqbal’s family demanded action against ‘Godi media’ for falsely labelling him a Pakistani terrorist. “We are already hurt by the the incident and then ‘godi media’ is spreading false news about Iqbal and calling him a Pakistani terrorist,” his family said.
Qari Iqbal Mohammad’s family demands action against ‘Godi media’ for falsely labelling him a Pakistani terrorist.
They claimed that he was killed in Indian airstrikes in Pakistan.
Fact: He was killed in Pakistani shelling in Poonch. pic.twitter.com/cXpD2RYXaQ
— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) May 8, 2025
Local residents and community leaders described Iqbal as a respected Islamic scholar and teacher who dedicated his life to the Poonch seminary, reported Kashmir Life, a local news magazine based in Srinagar.
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Social media users and journalists condemned the channels for spreading unverified, damaging narratives, especially amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan. “What has happened to the Indian media? They declare anyone a terrorist without any investigation,” said one X user.
“It’s truly disheartening when news channels, which should uphold truth and integrity, misrepresent facts—especially in such sensitive situations. Every innocent life lost, like that of Qari Mohammad Iqbal, deserves dignity and accurate reporting,” observed another netizen.
