On Wednesday police seized copies of Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Uzma while the same were being ferried to the various destinations in North and South Kashmir. The copies were seized at Ajas near Bandipore. The police also stopped the delivery of newspaper in South Kashmir. The vehicles carrying the newspaper copies were not allowed to move beyond Lethpora. This is something nobody in the government has bothered to explain. One could understand the imposition of curfew and the deployment of army and paramilitary forces in the Valley as warranted by the prevailing extraordinary state of unrest, but to stop the delivery of newspapers does in no way fall in the domain of security bandobast. One can’t but wonder what is the message that the state government wants to send by enforcing such curbs. Does it really believe that gagging local media is the answer and would contribute to the improvement in the situation. And if it does, it is certainly a cause of alarm not only for the media here but also for the people of the Valley. For it will be the first time in a long time that any state government would have sought to hold back the media in Kashmir from performing its professional role. And it will not reflect well on the image of the government which has otherwise enjoyed one of the best presses any government in the state has in years. Even though government has not forbidden media publicly, much like the prevailing curfew in the Valley which is not imposed officially, the apparent reasoning seems to be that the newspapers will further fan the prevailing fires. This thinking seems to come from a certain weird belief somewhere in the administration that if the newspapers are stopped reaching places, nobody would know what is happening. This too when 24x7 national news channels are offering a blow by blow account of the situation.

  Moreover, the functionaries from the state government find it really attractive to tip the TV reports and discussions with their own generous inputs. But the government seems to have taken the easiest way out by obstructing the circulation of this paper. What would explain this action? Is it a certain inherent distrust of the local reportage which can be easily accused of exaggerating the facts? Or is it a fear of the truer reflection of the ground realities, a fairer articulation of the Kashmiri aspirations, whatever they may be. It is time that the government comes clean on its action. One would expect that instead of perennially doubting Kashmir journalism, government develops a degree of appreciation for the onerous role it has performed in the past two decades.  The journalism in Valley can proudly credit itself for giving voice to an intrinsic truth of Kashmir, the truth of its people. It may yet to have come of age, but the journalism in Valley has grown beyond anybody’s imagination over the past two decades - its share of controversies and failures on many counts notwithstanding. A place which had no press worth its name till the end of eighties has now a media industry that is bustling, livewire and happening. What is more, over the years, the local media has by and large emerged as a credible voice of the people, something they have come to trust and take as a final word on the situation.  But to deny Kashmiris a version of the events from the media of the place could be the worst denial that any government can perpetrate on its people. It is the treatment that breeds suffocation as it will be impossible for the official or for that matter national media to reflect the local situation in all its dimensions and nuances. So, Government will need to immediately rethink its move to prevent the circulation of this paper or for that matter any other local newspaper. Far from helping the situation, this measure will also deal a blow to its democratic credentials. And this is something that the beleaguered state government under the circumstances can very well do without.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST