Srinagar, September 10, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the journalist bodies have condemned the police raid against four journalists, Hilal Mir, Shah Abbas, Azhar Qadri and Showkat Motta.

Various journalist bodies, including Journalist Federation of Kashmir (JFK), Kashmir Working Journalists Association (KWJA), Kashmir Press Photographers Association (KPPA), Kashmir Press Club (KPC), Kashmir Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), Kashmir Journalist Association (KJA) and Kashmir Video Journalist Association (KVJA), in a joint statement in Srinagar said the raids by armed forces carried out at the respective residences of these journalists is a stark reflection of how authorities in the territory are targeting journalists.

As per the eye-witnesses, the statement said, forces’ personnel laid, what appeared to them, a massive cordon in the localities of the respective residences of the journalists. According to family members, mobile phones, laptops and other gadgets of the journalists and their family members have been seized.

“Journalists in Kashmir are working amidst immense pressure, especially since the last three decades. Many of our colleagues have lost their lives or sustained injuries while discharging their professional duties,” the statement added.

“The cases of harassment against Kashmiri journalists are growing with each passing day and no words are enough to indicate the levels of strain the media is facing. The assault on freedom of press in Kashmir continues and it appears condemnations made in each case by media groups have fallen on deaf ears in absence of any respite,” the statement concluded.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org