Srinagar (J&K): Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), on Wednesday, said that the Government of India should immediately reopen Kashmir Press Club(KPC), which has been locked by the Jammu and Kashmir government for the last four days. In a scathing statement, RSF held authorities in the region responsible for helping a group of journalists to lead what many have termed as a “state-backed coup” that ultimately led to the closure of the Club.
“We call on Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to immediately restore the KPC’s license and order its reopening,” the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific Desk Daniel said in the statement.
“This society’s closure is clearly the outcome of a coup hatched at great length by the local government, which follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s orders. This undeclared coup is an Indian government insult to all the journalists trying to do their job in the Kashmir Valley, which is steadily being transformed into a black hole for news and information,” he added.
RSF called for the immediate reopening of the Club, where Kashmiri journalists used to discuss their problems and defend press freedom, adding that it is officially “closed for good after being invaded”.
“The elected body respected and honored the mandate journalists gave to it. We have worked professionally with integrity. The best and the most positive course ahead is to restore the club and its premises to the journalists and allow the elected body to organize elections as soon as possible. Anyone who wants the welfare of journalists should vouch for this outcome. Let better sense prevail on all sides,” the statement quoted KPC’s general secretary Ishfaq Tantray as saying.
RSF's condemnation of the closure of KPC comes days after a group of journalists claimed a “takeover” of the press club in Srinagar and subsequently announced themselves as the new management body amidst a presence of over a dozen security personnel, something that the local journalist bodies and many national press club bodies widely condemned.
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The incident at Kashmir Press Club (KPC) was also widely censured by regional political parties including the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah who claimed that the “coup” is part of a larger crackdown to stifle media in the region. Hakeem Yaseen, a former lawmaker, while criticizing the government for closing down Kashmir Press Club arbitrarily, said that the decision amounts to an “onslaught” on the working of the press.
“Closing KPC was aimed at to impede facilities provided to media persons to work in a free atmosphere. Press was the fourth pillar of democracy adding that by closing KPC, Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory has brought bad name to India- the largest democratic country, in the free world order,” a former lawmaker Hakeem Yaseen said.
In a fresh statement, separatist group All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Wednesday also expressed condemned the “forcible” take over and closure of Kashmir press club by the state authorities.
“The policy of repression and demolition of institutions in Jammu and Kashmir being pursued by the authorities is extremely unfortunate and sad,” the APHC said.
