Why not 'British Occupied Ireland', Shekhar Kapur asks BBC

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur on Sunday slammed BBC's terminology for Jammu and Kashmir, demanding to know why it doesn't call Northern Ireland "British Occupied Ireland".

In a tweet, he said: "Hey @BBCWorld.. each time you call #kashmir 'Indian Occupied Kashmir' I keep wondering why you refuse to call Northern Ireland 'British Occupied Ireland'."

Kapur is not the first one to slam BBC, which refers to Jammu and Kashmir as "Indian-administered Kashmir" with several Indian commentators having accused foreign media of presenting a tilted view on the Kashmir issue.

A BBC News Press Team tweet, however, said: "The BBC stands by its journalism and we strongly refute any claims that we have misrepresented events in Kashmir. We are covering the situation impartially and accurately. Like other broadcasters we are currently operating under severe restrictions in Kashmir but we will continue to report what is happening."

In another tweet, the filmmaker said: "I cannot fathom why Pakistan feels abolition of #Articles370 is a threat to its own security. Can you?"

The Narendra Modi-led government recently scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which confers special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, the relations with Pakistan have been on a downturn. IANS