SRI NAGAR: At least a dozen English and Urdu newspapers in Kashmir published blank front pages on Sunday to protest the government’s move to stop advertisements from appearing in two Srinagar-based dailies.
The front pages of the Valley’s leading English newspaper, Greater Kashmir, and other dailies including the Kashmir Observer, Kashmir Images, Kashmir Reader, Kashmir Monitor, Kashmir Vision and Urdu dailies Kashmir Uzma, Srinagar Times, Tameel-e-Irshad, Chattan, Uqab and Aafaq were blank.
“In protest against unexplained denial of government advertisements to Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader,” read the message published on the blank front pages.The decision was taken by the Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG), a body of editors of about a dozen Valley-based newspapers. The editors and newsmen also staged a sit-in at the Press Club, in Srinagar to lodge their protest.
“We staged a sit-in to protest the government’s decision to stop advertisements to two newspapers. We have been telling the government from 15 days to inform us why the advertisements were stopped,” said Bashir Manzir, Editor of Kashmir Images.
A spokesman of the KEG said the ban had deprived the two publications of their rightful revenue stream and was hurting the state and the status of journalism in Kashmir. “A democracy that lacks a vibrant media will have to face uncomfortably serious questions,” he said and demanded that the “gag” be lifted and advertisements be released to the two newspapers.
Although the state government has taken aggressive steps to clamp down on terrorist outfits operating in the state after the Februrary 14 suicide bombing of a CRPF vehicle, a “gag” on the media is not new to the J&K.
In 2016, Kashmir Reader was banned for nearly three months by the PDP-BJP coalition headed by Mehbooba Mufti during unrest in Valley over killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani.Mainstream and separatist leaders including two former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have criticized the Governor administration for stopping advertisements to newspapers.
Reshuffle
In a minor administrative reshuffle, J&K administration has ordered transfers and postings of four IAS officers and one KAS officer