KARACHI: As the countries around the globe mark World
Press Freedom Day, independent media in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
(IOJ&K) continues to be brutally muzzled by New Delhi. Through violence and
intimidation, Narendra Modi’s government has unleashed renewed wave of authoritarianism
in the disputed valley.
With the people of IOJ&K still languishing in what is no
less than an open air prison, the Indian government has ramped up brutalities
against journalists in a bid to prevent the world from knowing how Kashmiris in
the valley suffer.
According to sources in IOJ&K, local media persons have
been forced into struggle for survival due to the strict clampdown India has
put in place. Many erstwhile journalists have been reduced to seeking daily
wage work to eke out a living.
Those that somehow carry on in their profession are forced
to work under heavy restrictions and the threat of harassment, detainment and
even death. A number of them have been put under house arrest. IOJ&K
newspapers, meanwhile, have stopped printing editorials. Some are even being
printed as pamphlets. All of this comes in addition to the region wide
communications blackout that includes the suspension of high-speed internet
services.
A number of prominent IOJ&K journalists have faced
arrests, violence and other forms of harassment for reporting on Indian
brutalities. This year alone has seen several such incidents. Just last month,
for instance, journalist and author Gowhar Geelani was booked for “indulging in
unlawful activities prejudicial to the national integrity, sovereignty and
security of India” for social media posts critical of New Delhi’s policies.
That same month, at least three other journalists faced
similar treatment. Masrat Zahra, a Srinagar-based photojournalist, was booked
for uploading “anti-national posts with criminal intentions to incite the
youth.” Kashmir Observer’s Mushtaq Ahmed, meanwhile, was detained for two days
after being brutalised by a police officer in Bandipora.
Journalist Ashiq Peerzada was first summoned by police in Srinagar
and then immediately directed to travel some 40 kilometres to Anantnag for
further questioning by a police officer. After all this, an FIR was still
registered against him. Earlier, in February, journalist Naseer Ghani was
summoned by police for reporting on a statement issued by the Jammu and Kashmir
Liberation Front. That month, Haroon Nabi was also detained for four hours for
similarly reporting a statement issued by another group banned by India.
All of the aforementioned journalists join an extensive list
of Kashmiri journalists who have faced similar heavy-handedness from Indian
authorities for simply doing their job. Sadly, in some ways, they were one of
the lucky ones to get off easy. Many notable names have lost their lives in the
line of journalistic duty in IOJ&K, like columnist and Rising Kashmir
editor Shujaat Bukhari and NAFA editor Parvaz Mohammed Sultan. The
circumstances of their murders are still shrouded in mystery.
Others, like Asif Sultan and Qazi Shibli, faced longer
detainment for their work. The former, a recipient of the American National
Press Club’s Press Freedom Award, has been languishing in jail since August
2018. Shibli, meanwhile, was only released in April after nine months.
Recalling the ordeal, Shibli in an interview with The KashmirWalla described
his cell like a cage where he was even deprived of his right to read and write.
Even world bodies have taken notice of the brutality with
which IOJ&K journalists are being dealt under Indian policies. Since 2016,
the country has slid down by nine spots on the World Press Freedom rankings,
for instance.
Amnesty International, in a recent statement, voiced concern
that the harassment and intimidation of journalists through draconian laws
threaten efforts to address the Covid-19 pandemic while creating an atmosphere
of fear and reprisal. The International Press Institute, meanwhile, said
journalism in IOJ&K ‘is in a state of repression’. The Senior Asia
Researcher for the Committee to Protect Journalists Aliya Iftikhar has also condemned
the detention and harassment of journalists in IOJ&K.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Kashmir politician Altaf
Bhatt said journalists in IOJ&K were facing constant humiliation and
torture at the hands of Indian authorities. “Journalists in IOJ&K are
voices of the besieged people of the region. They have played a vital role in
highlighting the human rights violations committed by the Indian Army and other
Indian agencies,” he said. “For that reason, Narendra Modi’s fascist regime
wants to muzzle their voices and has introduced the Unlawful Activities
Prevention Act.”
“The United Nations should take notice of this continuous
harassment of IOJ&K journalists by the Indian government,” he urged.
Newspaper: Tribune
