Operation Sindoor: How foreign media reported, commented on India's strike
Most echo India's stance that it was a calibrated counterterror strike, some examine India-Pak conflicts, Pakistan's 'Dawn' slams Indian media
India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine locations spread across Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) through missile strikes, in retaliation to the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, has generated mixed reactions from the international media.
India has claimed that it conducted "precision strikes" and did not target any military installation in Pakistan but only the terror camps, which it had long accused of being used as launch pads and training facilities for terrorists to infiltrate into Indian territory.
Also read: Operation Sindoor: Which are the 9 targets India attacked and why?
Factual coverage
While most international media echoed the Indian stance that this was a calibrated counter-terror strike rather than an act of aggression, some also examined the historic India-Pak conflict and also reported on the casualties on Pakistan's side.
The UK-based The Guardian has been running a straight-forward coverage of India’s military strike with their live pager on the incident running with a headline “India strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir kill 26; Pakistan says five Indian jets shot down”.
It also carried a detailed piece on the atmosphere of fear in the villages in Kashmir along the international border with Pakistan following India’s strike. It also quoted villagers in POK as saying that the Indian strike came without warning.
BBC traces history of Kashmir conflict
The BBC, on the other hand, published an explainer titled "Kashmir: Why India and Pakistan fight over it". The piece traces the history of the conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours over Kashmir since both countries gained Independence in 1947.
Interestingly, the BBC piece carries a sub-heading titled "Why is India administered Kashmir so unstable?", under which the article observed, "Many do not want it to be governed by India, preferring either independence or union with Pakistan instead".
Also read: How Operation Sindoor marks an evolution in India’s strategic posture
It also pointed out that religion plays a key role in Jammu and Kashmir adding that that over 60 per ent of the population are Muslims. “An armed revolt has been waged against Indian rule in the region for three decades, claiming tens of thousands of lives,” it added.
US, Bangladeshi media
Across the Atlantic, The Washington Post ran the lead story on its website with a headline, “India strikes Pakistan after Kashmir attack, raising fears of war”. The piece contained elaborate reactions from the Pakistani authorities and civilians in the areas, who were struck by the Indian missiles as part of the Operation Sindoor.
The New York Times ran a piece with the headline "India Strikes Pakistan, Which Vows to Respond" and an opinion piece titled "India vs. Pakistan Is Also US vs China When It Comes to Arms Sales".
Meanwhile, The Daily Star, a prominent English daily in Bangladesh, reported on India launching strikes on Pakistan, and how Islamabad vows 'retaliation' along with another piece titled, "What happened in India's attack on Pakistan?".
Al Jazeera's coverage was more sympathetic to Pakistan's viewpoint, amplifying claims of civilian casualties and characterising the strikes as provocative.
Pakistan's 'Dawn' slams Indian media
The website of Pakistan’s leading English daily Dawn carried an opinion piece titled "Weaponisation of media", which accused the Indian electronic media of turning “hysterical” following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which left 26 tourists and a Kashmiri pony rider dead.
Also read: Indian missile strikes on Pakistan open up fearsome possibilities
It alleged that before any investigation was conducted and without any concrete evidence the Indian media started blaming Pakistan for the terror attack. “Such frenzy cannot be separated from the prevailing political environment in India,” it added.
Chinese, Russian media keep it brief
The Global Times, backed by China’s ruling Communist Party, ran a piece with a headline “26 civilians killed, 46 injured in Indian attack on Pakistani civilian settlements: Pakistani military".
The piece quoting the Xinhua News Agency is based on mostly reactions from Pakistani authorities while only the last paragraph carries the confirmation of the strike from the Indian government.
The lead story of Russia’s Sputnik news agency is titled "India Conducts 'Operation Sindoor' in Pakistan". The brief piece quotes India’s news agencies and has an image of a Rafale flanked by two Sukhoi fighter jets!