SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has centralised its media communication, restricting authorised speakers and making prior approval from its Srinagar headquarters mandatory for media interactions on broader political and organisational issues.
Under the new guidelines, only designated senior leaders will be authorised to speak on behalf of the party on policy matters, political developments, organisational decisions and other broader issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir. District-level functionaries, meanwhile, have been directed to confine their media interactions to issues concerning their respective districts.
The instructions were issued through a circular following a meeting of District Congress Committee presidents of Kashmir Province, chaired by JKPCC president Tariq Hameed Karra.
According to the circular, the JKPCC president, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, chief whip and the in-charge of the party’s Srinagar headquarters, along with other specifically designated persons, will be authorised to represent the party on broader political and policy matters.
District Congress presidents and district spokespersons have been specifically directed to restrict their public statements and media interactions to local issues and developments. They have been barred from commenting on wider political or policy matters or projecting their personal views as the official position of the party.
The circular also makes it mandatory for media houses and journalists seeking interviews, statements, reactions, briefings or clarifications from party functionaries to route their requests through the PCC headquarters in Srinagar for consideration and approval.
Party functionaries have further been cautioned against independently issuing political statements, reacting to sensitive matters or communicating the party’s official position on policy issues, political developments and organisational decisions without prior authorisation.
Warning of disciplinary action, the circular states that any unauthorised statement or media interaction will be treated as a serious breach of organisational discipline and may invite action by the competent authority.
Issued by Syed Suhail Bukhari, Coordinator, Media and Communications (Kashmir), the circular says the guidelines are aimed at ensuring uniformity, coordination, discipline and consistency in the party’s public communication.
All District Congress Committee presidents have been directed to circulate the instructions among office-bearers and functionaries in their respective districts and ensure strict compliance.
