Major developments in Kashmir often make it to headlines in newspapers of both claimants of the territory, India and Pakistan.
The news Sunday of a string of gun battles in southern Kashmir valley that left 20 dead, including 13 militants, four civilians and three Indian soldiers, made it to front pages of leading newspapers in both countries.
Pakistani newspapers focused more on the killings of Kashmiris and the government reaction, while the Indian ones chose to highlight the killing of militants.
Here is a scan of the two approaches to the same development.
PAKISTAN NEWSPAPERS:
DAWN NEWS
The three gunfights was the lead story in this newspaper in bold 3-deck headline, “Indian troops kill 17 in held Kashmir”. The 3-column story also focused on people’s anger in Kashmir and government’s strong reaction against the killing in the kicker “Pakistan says the killing spree has exposed the state terrorism perpetrated by India”.
The story presents an overall account of militant and civilian killings, the protests that followed and pellet injuries to civilians.
EXPRESS TRIBUNE
“Indian forces unleash bloodbath, 20 dead” read the 2-deck headline of lead story in this newspaper, one of the leading dailies, with kicker “Security forces use teargas,, pellet guns and later opened fire on civilians after ‘military clashes with militant’.
The focus of the story was the use of force on the civilians saying the military operation was “worst incident of violence in the region this year”. It was a single column story with 3-coulmn picture of the protests in the Valley.
THE NATION
This newspaper made the reaction of Pakistan government its lead. “Pakistan protests Indian killing spree in Kashmir”, read the 3-deck headline. It talked about killing of “17 youth in search and kill operation”. A 5-column story with 3-column a picture showed an injured being rushed to hospital.
JANG
This largest circulating Urdu daily of Pakistan made the killings in Kashmir as its lead under the headline “Bahrati Dahshatgardi, 17 Kashmiri shaheed” (Indian terrorism, 17 Kashmiris martyred). The death toll was the lead in all editions of the newspaper in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Multan, London and Quetta.
THE NEWS
The Kashmir killings were the lead story in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore edition’s of the newspaper under the three-deck headline “17 Kashmirs martyred in Indian state terrorism”. A 3-column photograph showed a house blasted during the encounter.
INDIAN NEWSPAPERS:
THE HINDU
“12 militants killed in multiple operations in Kashmir” read the 2-deck headline of this newspaper in bold letters with mentions of killing of three soldiers and four slain civilians in the kicker. It is a 4-colum story with a picture of a house blown up with explosives.
HINDUSTAN TIMES
In its headline this newspaper focused on revenge against killing of Lt Ummar Fayaz by the militants last year. “Lt Fayaz killers among 12 militants shot dead in the valley”. The 3-column story talks about civilian killings in clashes in the kicker with a picture of a house blasted during the encounter.
THE TIMES OF INDIA
This is the only newspaper which made a mention of civilian killings in the headline: “13 ultras, 3 Jawans, 4 civilians killed in Kashmir encounters”. The 4-column story has two-column picture as well.
THE TELEGRAPH
It has given lead space to the Kashmir killings under the headline: “Day of death in Kashmir” without giving account of militant, civilians and forces’ causalities in the headline.
THE INDIAN EXPRESS
“12 militants, three army men killed in 3 encounters in the valley” read the headline with the hammer “protests rock south Kashmir, 4 civilians dead”. The encounter made the lead 4-column lead story with a 2-column photo.