British broadcaster BBC came under fire for calling a Pakistani restaurant an Indian restaurant in an article published on December 26th, 2021.
The article had been praising the restaurant named Mumtaz Leads for distributing free meals to needy people on Christmas Day. Misreporting the facts, the BBC story called restaurant an Indian when in fact it is a Pakistani restaurant.
Pakistani social media users reacted to the faux pass by BBC and corrected the media outlet. Netizens said that the restaurant Mumtaz Leads is not run by an Indian man but a Kashmiri-Pakistani. “Owner of Mumtaz Restuarant is a Kashmiri, Pakistani not Indian,” wrote a prominent British-Pakistani, Lord Nazir Ahmed while commenting on the story of BBC.
“Pakistani* restaurant. The owner of Mumtaz Leeds is a Kashmiri Pakistani, not an Indian. Also, BBC must give coverage to other restaurants like Spice village who were giving free food to all the homeless & needy people on Christmas day. Show our positive face too,” wrote British-Pakistani journalist Ihtisham-ul-Haq.
Owner of Mumtaz Restuarant is a Kashmiri, Pakistani not Indian… https://t.co/9vVTTcPpEn
— Lord Nazir Ahmed (@nazir_lord) December 27, 2021
Read more: Malala Yousafzai, two other Pakistani women make it to BBC’s 100 Women
Meanwhile praising the services of the restaurant BBC said: “An Indian restaurant said it gave away hundreds of free meals for those who required them on Christmas Day.”
The BBC story claims that the restaurant offered 1200 free meals to the ones who needed it. The restaurant staff said that they requested people coming for the meals to “favor the needy and children”.
Pakistani* restaurant. The owner of Mumtaz Leeds is a Kashmiri Pakistani, no an Indian. Also, BBC must give coverage to other restaurants like Spice village who were giving free food to all the homeless & needy people on Christmas day. Show our positive face too. https://t.co/CINWtkwokU
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) December 27, 2021
Read more: Shehryar Afridi protests against BBC’s article on his V-log
The free meal consisted of onion bhajis with raita yogurt, pilau rice, and chicken jalfrezi. The business has been inspired by footballer Marcus Rashford and a £10 Christmas dinner he created in collaboration with chef Tom Kerridge.
“All the Christmas cancellations have not been helpful, we’ve lost at least 60 to 70% of our trade this month,” BBC quoted Asad Arif, the customer and business relations manager at Mumtaz Leads, quoted him as saying.
Taj Shah, floor manager at Mumtaz Leeds, said: “The response has been overwhelming, especially the residents – we’ve had so many phone calls asking if we need help and volunteers. “I’d like to thank everyone for making it happen and making it a success.”
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