Srinagar, Aug 21: Press Guild of Kashmir has expressed serious concern over administration’s tactics to impede and hinder the distribution of newspaper in different areas of the Valley.
In a statement, PGK said for almost 15 days, entry of all the newspapers was banned into north Kashmir and police would seize the copies at Mujgund, Pattan, Sumbal etc and even harass the distributors.
On Saturday morning, vehicles with newspapers bound for South Kashmir were stopped and newspaper seized.
The statement said it was after 15 days that today newspapers were allowed to reach different areas of north Kashmir after PGK took the matter with higher-ups. “But at the same time police today seized the copies of the newspaper on way to south Kashmir. Not a single copy of any newspaper was allowed to be carried beyond Lethpora while as the distributors were harassed.”
“It seems a deliberate attempt on the part of the government to impose restrictions on the free flow of news and the PGK condemns it in strongest terms.”
“The local newspaper owners have been publishing their newspapers against all odds and despite suffering huge loses have been trying to ensure that the common readers have access to information. But on its parts, is trying to ensure that the newspapers that are published, reach nowhere. Instead of imposing a formal ban on the newspapers the government is creating an atmosphere in which newspapers are not distributed among the readers,” said the statement.
“So on one hand, the government is denying the common masses access to the information and news, which is their fundamental right and on the other hand is adding to the loses of the newspapers.”
In this backdrop, Press Guild of Kashmir has asked government to stop disturbing the circulation of the newspapers and ensure smooth distribution so that every one has access to newspapers.
The PGK has decided that if government continues with informal ban on distribution of newspapers, the newspaper owners, taking into confidence all national and international media representative bodies would stop publication.
Press Guild of Kashmir also condemned the harassment meted out to the photojournalists and expressed sympathies with Tawseef Mustafa, who was hit by a tear smoke shell, Friday and prayed for his early recovery. 

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