His name was Qari Mohammad Iqbal. He was not a terrorist.

On the morning of May 7, the death of Qari Mohammad Iqbal became the focal point of news segments across media channels. He was labelled a “most-wanted terrorist” and a “top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander”. His death seemed to have marked the success of Operation Sindoor, a series of military strikes launched by the Indian armed forces to target nine sites that were a breeding ground for terrorism in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian action came a fortnight after of 26 civilians were killed in Pahalgam, Kashmir, by terrorists with alleged links to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

The Indian strikes came on the intervening night of May 6 and 7. Shortly after this, there were reports of heavy mortar shelling by Pakistan on forward villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch and Rajouri areas of Jammu and Kashmir. The LoC is an over 700-km de facto military border separating the two countries. The following day, May 8, the defence ministry confirmed that Pakistan tried to target multiple military installations in Western India and that 16 people were killed due to firing by the neighbouring country.

Qari Mohammad Iqbal was among those killed on May 7. Conferred with the title Qari, someone who reads and recites the Quran, he was dubbed a terrorist by mainstream media outlets. They said he was hiding in Kotli, Pakistan, and was killed by India as they targeted terror bases.

On May 7, news channel Republic aired a blurred image of the man’s corpse. The channel said he was a “top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander” involved in major terrorist attacks, including Pulwama.

ABP’s May 7 report on his killing had the headline: “मिट्टी में मिल गया मोस्ट वांटेंड आतंकी कारी मोहम्मद इकबाल, घाटी में ढूंढ़ रही थी एजेंसियां; भारत के एयरस्ट्राइक में हुआ ढेर”. This translates to “Most-wanted terrorist Qari Mohammad Iqbal reduced to dust. Agencies were searching for him in the valley; he was killed in India’s airstrike”. (Archive)

His death was also the key focus of a segment hosted by senior CNN-News18 journalist Rahul Shivshankar.  “Lashkar Terrorist Qari Muhammad Iqbal, A Religious Preacher, Killed In Kotli By Indian Strikes,” the channel’s YouTube video said.

Zee News, too, aired a blurred image of his corpse with the ticker, “Terrorist Qari Mohammad Iqbal killed”.

News18 India’s reportage was similar. The channel said that Mohammed Iqbal was among the Lashkar terrorists India had been trying to track for a long time.

Regional media outlets ABP Majha (Marathi) and News18 MP-Chhattisgarh also aired the news that the Indian armed forces had killes the “terrorist” in Kotli.

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Qari Mohammed Iqbal Was an Indian, a Kashmiri, Not a Terrorist

Alt News found the photo of Qari Mohammed Iqbal, aired by many news outlets, on a Facebook post on May 7. The condolence post, by one Sayeed Ahmed Habib, read: “Our dear Maulana Qari Mohammad Iqbal Sahib, a teacher at Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom, Poonch, fell victim to the recent border tensions. He was in his room when death came to him…”

Habib’s bio identifies him as the deputy administrator of Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom High School in Poonch, which means the two were colleagues. Habib’s post was also shared by the official Facebook page of Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom High School where Qari Mohammad Iqbal worked as a teacher. Alt News reached out to the school and they confirmed that he taught there for 20 years.

In a video statement, also shared by the school’s Facebook page, Habib said it was unfortunate how media outlets had spread misinformation about the martyred teacher. He warned the channels to apologise for their coverage or face legal action.

Poonch was one of the many districts along the LoC that witnessed cross-border artillery and mortar shelling by the Pakistan armed forces, resulting in casualties. Qari Mohammad Iqbal was among those who lost their lives in this crossfire. This was confirmed by the district police. “The deceased, Maulana Mohd Iqbal, was a respected religious figure in the local community and had no affiliation with any terror outfit,” the police statement said.

Alt News also reached out to the family of the deceased. His brother-in-law, Ishaq Khayan, told Alt News that their family was extremely hurt by the way media outlets labelled the late Mohammed Iqbal a terrorist. “We are Indians, we have immense love for the nation and we stand by the country and the armed forces. But my brother-in-law was killed in firing; he was martyred. In such circumstances, if one is labelled a terrorist, of course it is hurtful. It was traumatising.”

In a video, Qari Mohammad Farookh, the victim’s younger brother, stood alongside his family and condemned the misinformation spread about Qari Mohammad Iqbal. “We were already wounded, and now this tragedy has struck us. Godi media is spreading the falsehood that he was a Pakistani terrorist. We strongly condemn this and appeal to the District Collector (DC saab) to take appropriate action,” he 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

To reiterate, Qari Mohammad Iqbal was not a Pakistani terrorist. He was a teacher and a religious figure in the Poonch district in Kashmir. In a crucial moment of geo-political conflict, where news outlets should have played a key role as the source of factual and reliable information, they ended up fabricating a lie and spreading falsehoods. As a result, an ordinary man, most importantly, an Indian citizen, was demonised and linked to a terror outfit from Pakistan. Worse,  no apology or clarification was issued by these media outlets.

(With inputs from Diti Pujara)