India faces a persistent challenge in global media narratives, where Western outlets often downplay terrorism and reinforce Pakistan’s perspective. The article highlights India’s diplomatic outreach, media bias, and Pakistan’s strategic use of international platforms to shape discourse. It urges Indian intellectuals to proactively engage in global media, counter misinformation, and assert India’s truth on the world stage for fair representation.
Highlights
- Following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists, India launched Operation Sindoor and initiated a global diplomatic outreach.
- International media outlets like BBC, CNN, and Reuters downplayed terror attacks in India by using terms like militants instead of terrorists, framing attacks within broader geopolitical issues, subtly shifting focus from terrorism to political debates.
- Pakistan has successfully leveraged Western media to advance its narrative on Kashmir and India-Pakistan relations.
- India’s historical reluctance to counter Pakistani narratives has enabled distorted perceptions to gain international traction and the lack of Indian intellectual engagement in global media has allowed Pakistan’s viewpoints to dominate.
- India must build institutions that shape global narratives and ensure fair representation of its security concerns.
- The article argues that India must proactively counter biased narratives and strategically project its truth on the world stage.
Recently, following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent counter-terror operation, Operation Sindoor, the Government of India took a decisive and commendable step by launching a strategic diplomatic outreach. Seven all-party delegations were sent to 33 global capitals comprising 51 parliamentarians, to reinforce India's stance against terrorism and expose Pakistan’s role in cross-border terrorism, and galvanize international support. This initiative reflects a strong and unified national response, signaling India’s resolve to counter terrorism not only militarily but also diplomatically. Â
However, sustaining global momentum and ensuring long-term international pressure against the sponsors of terror requires continuous engagement and strategic communication. A significant challenge to this effort arises from persistent bias in international media narratives, as evident in their recent reporting on the Pahalgam attack and the operation Sindoor. For instance, in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, where 26 innocent tourists were brutally killed, most Western media reports avoided using the term “terrorists,” opting instead for softer, sanitized terms such as “militants,” “gunmen,” or “assailants.” This deliberate linguistic choice diminishes the severity of these violent acts. Such reporting not only does injustice to the victims of terrorism and violates the core values of humanitarian ethics, but also undermines international understanding of India’s counterterrorism efforts.
Western Media Bias
Major platforms like BBC, CNN, Reuters, and others have repeatedly downplayed India’s legitimate security concerns, often framing their narratives in a way that echoes Pakistan’s geopolitical perspective. Moreover, even when these outlets report on terror attacks, they frequently embed them within broader political contexts—such as references to the “Kashmir dispute”—usually placed near the end of the articles or coverage. This strategic framing subtly shifts the focus from the brutality of terrorism to contentious geopolitical debates, indirectly legitimizing extremist violence and bloodshed.
This pattern of biased reporting is not a recent development but is deeply rooted in historical geopolitical alignments. During the Cold War, Western powers—especially the United States—established close strategic ties with Pakistan, while India pursued a non-aligned policy. These alignments influenced how international media perceived and portrayed developments in South Asia, often minimizing or overlooking Pakistan’s destabilizing actions in the region. Although the Cold War ended decades ago, its legacy continues to shape Western media narratives. Consequently, terrorism-related incidents in India are often reported with a lack of objectivity, failing to recognize the gravity of India’s security concerns.
Compounding this challenge is the fact that, for decades, Pakistan has effectively used Western media platforms to advance its narrative against India, particularly by projecting the Kashmir issue as a global concern. This approach has helped Pakistan shape international discourse, often portraying India negatively. In contrast, India, in its effort to prevent the internationalization of the Kashmir issue—a strategy aligned with its national interest and sovereignty—has gone into a defensive mode. It has failed to counter Pakistani disinformation campaigns, especially regarding its support for terrorism and regional destabilization, which has proven costly. New Delhi feared that highlighting Pakistan’s disruptive actions would lead to the internationalization of the Kashmir issue, so it refrained from exposing Pakistan’s provocations on the global stage. This hesitation allowed Pakistan’s narrative to dominate internationally, particularly in Western media, shaping perceptions and undermining India’s legitimate security position.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has increasingly gone beyond the Kashmir issue, leveraging international platforms to interfere in and distort India’s internal matters. This lack of a consistent and assertive Indian counter-narrative has created a vacuum, enabling Pakistan’s misleading narratives to gain traction. Over time, these narratives have become entrenched and are often accepted without scrutiny. When Indian voices now attempt to counter these distortions, they are often dismissed as biased because the Pakistani narrative has already shaped the prevailing mindset. In this process, India has compromised its ability to effectively protect and project its interests globally.
As a result, greater space and visibility are often afforded to Pakistani writers whose viewpoints align with Western media’s entrenched assumptions about India-Pakistan relations. This trend is evident in major international publications, where Pakistani voices feature prominently and regularly, shaping public opinion in the West and often reinforcing one-sided or distorted narratives about India.
Concrete Evidence
A case in point is a Reuters recently article titled “Exclusive: Pakistan’s Chinese-made jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft, US officials say,” authored by Pakistani journalists Saeed Shah and Idrees Ali. Despite lacking concrete evidence to substantiate its claims, the article was still published, relying on unnamed sources without independently verifiable evidence. Pieces like this, appearing in respected global outlets, leave a lasting impression on international readers—many of whom may not critically evaluate the background or potential bias of the authors. When such voices dominate the conversation, they shape global discourse in subtle yet powerful ways.
Another glaring example of entrenched bias in Western media narratives on South Asia is a recent article in The National Interest—a journal usually regarded for its research-based content. Titled “How Pakistan’s Drone Army Won the War Against India” by Brandon J. Weichert, the piece boldly claims a Pakistani victory in the recent conflict without offering credible evidence or verifiable sources. One particularly striking passage reads: “The Su-30MKI was among the five planes shot down by Pakistan in the opening phases of the war. Further, the Pakistanis managed to blast the S-400s after jamming them on May 10.” These unsubstantiated claims amount to little more than propaganda. It is totally shocking that a publication of such high repute would present speculative assertions while claiming journalistic integrity. This is not genuine analysis but deliberate narrative construction, clearly aimed at advancing certain geopolitical agendas.
Another example is the recent Nikkei Asia article by Adnan Aamir, which claimed that a “multibillion-dollar deal” had been finalized between Russia and Pakistan to revive the Soviet-era Karachi steel plant. The story, initially reported by Nikkei Asia and later amplified by other media outlets, was swiftly refuted by Sputnik India, which labelled the report as misinformation. It stated: “While negotiations did take place, Sputnik India was unable to find any proof that a multibillion dollar contract has been signed.” They further noted that Nikkei Asia, which “ceased reporting from Russia in 2022,” had failed to provide reliable sourcing and used misleading imagery. This appeared to be a thinly veiled attempt to sow doubts about the India–Russia strategic partnership.
Moreover, Media outlets such as Al Jazeera, China’s state-run Xinhua and Global Times, and Turkey’s TRT World have consistently exhibited a pro-Pakistan bias in their coverage. This has helped Pakistan amplify its international narrative, often to India’s disadvantage. Given the geopolitical alignments of countries like China and Turkey with Pakistan—both of which have historically supported it on Kashmir—it is unrealistic to expect their affiliated media to provide balanced or impartial coverage of India.
Need for Assertive Indian Voices in Global Discourse
Indian policymakers and strategic thinkers must recognize that these narratives  are part of a broader pattern of distortion and psychological warfare campaign against India. The time has come to robustly challenge these portrayals and build institutions that can effectively shape global narratives from India’s perspective.
Renowned international journalist Yalda Hakim, an Australian (of Afghan origin )and lead world news presenter for Sky News, recently pointed out that “there is a profound lack of understanding and knowledge in the West about India’s concerns regarding terrorism.” She added that a key reason is that “Indian experts and intellectuals rarely engage with international media in the way Pakistani writers consistently do.” This lack of Indian presence in global discourse, Hakim noted, “allows Pakistan’s narrative to go unchallenged.”
What is truly disheartening is the silence or absence of Indian intellectuals, scholars, and foreign policy experts in international media. India has no shortage of capable voices—strategic thinkers, analysts, and academics—but many prefer to publish only in domestic outlets, limiting their reach to global audiences. Pakistan, on the other hand, has mastered the art of narrative-building. Its scholars and journalists are proactive in writing for global platforms, lobbying in international forums, and reinforcing their country’s narrative.
Ultimately, we must also hold ourselves accountable. Our think tanks and institutions produce valuable research, but much of it remains confined to academic journals or Indian publications. If we do not actively take India’s story to the global stage, we leave a vacuum that others are eager to fill. It is a moral responsibility—indeed, a strategic necessity—for Indian scholars, journalists, and intellectuals to engage with international media and shape global discourse. Objectivity in international relations is often an illusion; what dominates is power, narrative, and perception. Lies, when repeated often enough, begin to sound like truth. The time has come to raise India’s voice with greater clarity, conviction, and courage. This is not merely about countering disinformation—it is about asserting our truth and telling our story to the world.
Dr. Imran Khurshid is an Associate Research Fellow at the International Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS), New Delhi. He specializes in India-US relations, the Indo-Pacific studies, and South Asian security issues. The views expressed here are his own.
