>Sat Oct 8 2005 Major quake rocks North India, 23 killed >The earthquake has been measured at 7.6 in the Richter scale, epicentre is said to be >Muzzaffrabad in Pakistan and is described as "major". >[ 03:07 pm Sat, Oct 8, 2005, REUTERS ] Times of India seems to have accepted Muzzaffrabad (capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK) as part of Pakistan. A national newspaper should be careful in wording, especially in matters as sensitive as the territorial integrity of the country. Somewhere within the article, it writes: >The US Geological Survey (USGS) highlighted a large earthquake on its Website between >Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir with a magnitude of 7.6. When I’d read the news-piece first during the day, the article mentioned ‘Pakistani-Kashmir’ and ‘Indian-Kashmir’. While it is understandable for International media to use these terminologies, Indian newspapers must be careful in using the terminology in line with the Constitution of India. Pakistani online papers, such as Dawn, continue to use terms like Srinagar in Indian-held Kashmir or Indian-occupied Kashmir. P.S. It might be a newspiece from Reuters that TimesofIndia is using "as is". Not sure how this works, but in my view, sensitive bits can be put under quotes to show that "we don’t agree with this, but are reporting ‘as is’." In another TimesOfIndia piece, Quake not a surprise: experts IANS[ SATURDAY, OCTOBER 08, 2005 08:58:37 PM ] Referring to a scientist, Purnachandar Rao, from the Natiaonal Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), it said, ‘He said the exact magnitude of Saturday’s earthquake would be known after they gathered all the relevant details. "At this point of time we can say that the magnitude was in the range of 7 to 7.5 on Richter scale and its epicenter was near Muzaffarabad (in Pakistan)."’ Note: However, in other pieces, TimesOfIndia has used terms like "Muzzafarabad district in PoK" as well. Comments of other Indian nationals on this are solicited.
