Qari Mohammad Iqbal, a Muslim teacher from Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, who was tragically killed in shelling from Pakistan on Wednesday, is being falsely portrayed as a ‘terrorist’ by several national news channels, including News18, Zee News, and Republic TV, forcing the Poonch district police to issue a statement refuting the claims as “baseless and misleading.”
The 46-year-old Qari Mohammad Iqbal, from Village Baila, Tehsil Mandi of Poonch, lost his life due to cross-border shelling by Pakistan at Madrasa Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch city, while three of his students sustained injuries.
News18 TV aired a segment showing the photo of Qari Mohammad Iqbal alongside the captions “Mara gaya Qari Mohammad Iqbal” and “Mara gaya Lashkar ka khoonkhaar aatanki” (Qari Mohammad Iqbal was killed, a dreaded terrorist of Lashkar was killed), branding the victim as a terrorist.
Republic World’s video titled, “Operation Sindoor: Terrorist Qari Mohammad Iqbal Killed at Kotli Camp | Who Was This Jaish Commander?” incorrectly attributed him as the “Top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander involved in major terror attacks, including Pulwama.”
Republic TV falsely claimed that “Iqbal was confirmed dead in India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor launched on 7 May 2025,” alleging he was “hiding at the Kotli Lashkar camp, just 15 km across the LoC from Rajouri,” had been “evading Indian agencies since the Pulwama attack,” and was “among 50 terrorists present at the Kotli camp targeted by Indian missiles.”
The Poonch district police, in a press release, strongly refuted these claims as “baseless and misleading,” confirming that Qari Mohammad Iqbal lost his life due to cross-border shelling by Pakistan at Madrasa Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch city.
“Poonch Police strongly refute such false narratives. The deceased, Maulana Mohammad Iqbal, was a respected religious figure in the local community and had no affiliation with any terror outfit,” said the police.
The police stated that, “Misreporting such sensitive incidents not only causes unnecessary panic but also disrespects the dignity of the deceased and the sentiments of the grieving family.”
The police warned that, “It is hereby warned that any media outlet, journalist, or individual found indulging in the circulation of such fake news shall be liable for legal action as warranted under relevant provisions of law.”
They further urged, “All media personnel and platforms are advised to verify facts from official sources before publishing any information pertaining to security and public order.”
Advocate Sajid Bukhari told Maktoob that this is an example of “professional misconduct” within Indian media.
“All they need is a person with a beard to declare him a terrorist,” he said.
Expressing condolences to the family, he added that now the family faces “these insane allegations from unprofessional Indian media.”
Meanwhile, despite nearly 24 hours having passed since the publication of the news, none of the news channels have taken down the story or issued an apology.
At least 15 civilians and one soldier, including four children, were killed and 43 others injured in heavy cross-border shelling by the Pakistan Army in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
