Journalists demand lifting of restrictions on internet in occupied Kashmir

Published January 7, 2020
Internet services have been blocked in occupied Kashmir, making it hard for people and journalists to access information. — Reuters/File
Internet services have been blocked in occupied Kashmir, making it hard for people and journalists to access information. — Reuters/File

Journalist bodies of occupied Kashmir urged the Indian government to lift the ongoing ban on the internet in the region, which entered its 157th day on Tuesday.

In a session dubbed 'cyber curfew', which was held at the Kashmir Press Club on Monday, journalists from different media outlets and bodies lamented that they were forced to work without access to the internet in the 21st century and compared the restrictions to those imposed by Joseph Stalin in Russia, The Wire reported.

"The post August 5 situation in [occupied] Kashmir is unprecedented. Even in the early 1990s, the media in Kashmir did not face such unprecedented curbs. We also have to see what happened to those who summoned the courage to speak up or write in an objective manner," Kashmiri journalist Peerzada Ashiq said.

Highlighting the difficulties reporters have to face since the August 5 lockdown, journalist and editor of Kashmir Images Bashir Manzar said: "We aren't able to communicate with our sources and freely gather information. We demand the internet be restored."

Another journalist Shafat Farooq complained that editors and media houses have accepted the government's restrictions and as a result, several journalists had either lost their jobs or suffered salary cuts.

"When asked to bend, Kashmir’s press didn’t even crawl; it went down on its knees. We could have simply closed down the newspapers," said journalist Shahnawaz Khan. "Collectively we have failed and even if internet is restored now, what difference will the Kashmir press make now?"

A strict lockdown and communications blackout has been in place in occupied Kashmir since August, when the Indian government stripped the region of its special status. Internet services have been blocked, making it hard for people and journalists to access information.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government has also reportedly stopped journalists from reporting the situation on the ground, blocking coverage of protests by residents and extrajudicial arrests by Indian security forces.

Rights groups and journalist bodies have repeatedly voiced concern over curbs imposed on the media by the government.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.