KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
It is thirteenth consecutive day and ban on the publication of Kashmir Reader – a Srinagar based English newspaper – has not been removed, yet.
Srinagar district magistrate shot an order to the printer and publisher of the newspaper on October 02, 2016 evening directing him to immediately halt the publishing of Kashmir Reader. The order read that “the content published by Kashmir Reader can incite violence”. However, no particular report has been cited in the order. The editor has denied the charge.
The Journalists working in Kashmir condemned the attack terming it as “stifling” the freedom of expression.
On Saturday, scores of Journalists held a silent protest in Mushtaq Ali Enclave (Press Colony) seeking withdrawal of the ban.
Since July 09, 2016, when mass protests were triggered by the death of popular militant commander Burhan Wani on July 08, 2 016, the government clamped down on the Kashmir media forcing it to shut for four days. However, banning a newspaper completely has happened first time in last three decades.
The Journalists holding placards sought immediate revocation of the ban on Kashmir Reader. The Journalists have been holding protests, sit-ins and solidarity marches since October 03, 2016.
Kashmir Reader – a 12-page broadsheet newspaper – first hit Kashmir markets on May 15 2013. The promoters of the newspaper include those who ran erstwhile popular news magazine – Conveyor – which was a monthly publication.
Kashmir Bureau Chief of Kashmir Reader, Moazum Mohammad, told Kashmir Life that at least sixty staffers of the newspaper are sitting idle.
“Besides being direct attack on freedom of press,” he said, “the ban on the newspaper has created a precedent.”
Twelve days have passed that Kashmir Reader did not come to market but the staffers have not stopped attending the office. “We come,” Moazum said, “and everyone comes.”
However, the Journalist said, “it is suffocating. It is not good for reporters not to report for so long whatever is happening around us.”
According to the newspaper bureau chief, the ban has created other major issues for its non-editorial staff. “Journalists can join other organizations or can move out of Kashmir for job but some people are completely dependent on their job with this organization,” he said.
He termed the ban on the news organization as a “move towards unemployment”. “Shutting down an institution means creating problems for government itself as people have been disengaged,” he observed.
