SRI NAGAR: The massive communication clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir has left the local newspapers struggling to publish and distribute their copies.
During 15 days of the clampdown, only 15 newspapers out of 164 in the Valley managed to publish, that too with a lesser number of pages.
“Over 300 newspapers get published from Jammu and Kashmir. Their editions have been affected to a great extent. While in Jammu, newspapers have resumed slowly, publishing and circulation in the Valley has dipped significantly,” said Moazum Mohammad, vice-president of the Kashmir Press Club.
Only four newspapers in the Valley could manage to get published on August 6, a day after the announcement of the scrapping of Article 370. They included the English language dailies Rising Kashmir and Greater Kashmir, and Urdu newspapers Tamil-e-Irshad and The Daily Aftab.
The Srinagar edition of Kashmir Times, whose executive editor, Annuradha Bhasin filed a petition in the Supreme Court pleading for relaxation of curbs on communication and movement of journalists, continues to suffer due to the communication clampdown.
Junaid Kathju, a principal correspondent with Rising Kashmir, said out of the total 16 pages, his newspaper could only manage to print two pages for 12 days. “We have no internet or landline but we have been managing somehow. On day 13, we published four pages,” he said.
Editor of Brighter Kashmir Farooq Wani said gathering the content was a huge challenge. “Our reporters from the districts in south and north Kashmir are still not able to contact us. The distribution has also suffered,” he said.
Kashmir turned into jail, say NC lawmakers
SRINAGAR: Two National Conference MPs on Monday said Kashmir had been turned into a jail and described the “uneasy calm” in “as lull before the storm”.
At a joint press briefing, Mohd Akbar Lone and Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi termed the abrogation of Article 370 as “unconstitutional”.
They dared the administration to lift the curbs and release the detained leaders.
Rejecting the claims that regional parties are trying to disturb the situation in Valley, Lone said, “We don’t instigate anybody... We don’t speak against India but carry out politics as per the guarantees provided by the Constitution”.