Journalists in Indian-held Kashmir under pressure: report

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 26 May 2021

A report reveals that journalists in Indian-held Kashmir are increasingly under pressure from the Indian government to suppress truthful reporting. Asif Sultan, a notable Kashmiri journalist, has been imprisoned for reporting on local issues, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by the press in the region.

Summary

ISLAMABAD – Kashmiri journalists belonging to Indian-held Kashmir are paying a heavy price for reporting the truth. A report by the Kashmir Media Service says journalists have been stopped from covering protests, violence, and search operations.

“Sadly, the award-winning incarcerated Kashmiri journalist Asif Sultan (pictured) has completed 1,000 days in prison for writing a report on the martyred youth leader, Burhan Wani,” the report says.

The Indian government is implementing various tactics to pressure local journalists in held Kashmir. Particularly after August 2019, the Modi-led regime has intensified curbs on Kashmiri journalists. "India wants to obfuscate facts and that only its version of events be covered by the media in the occupied territory,” the report highlighted.

The Modi government is trying hard to prevent journalists from reporting any political news, particularly about the Kashmir movement, without the authorities’ permission.

The report emphasized that Srinagar journalists face state repression. At the same time, press freedom is under serious threat from Indian authorities using harassment, intimidation, and surveillance to silence journalists in the occupied valley.