Kashmiri scribe speaks of reporting constraints

Jammu-based journalist and the Executive Editor of “Kashmir Times” Anuradha Bhasin spoke on Thursday on the conditions faced by media and its implications on the flow of information.

Bhasin is the only Kashmir-based journalist to file a writ petition in SC to highlight the intimidation faced by media for working in the valley and urged the court to take steps to restore normalcy for media’s functioning.

Being a journalist for more than two decades, Bhasin informed that in the last 40 days many journalists were arrested. Irrfan Malik of the newspaper “Greater Kashmir” was arrested in a midnight raid, while journalist Gauhar Gelani was detained at the airport while traveling for an academic conference. The communication lockdown led to imposing severe constraints on media’s functioning. Bhasin further informed that compared to the national media, the local media faced more problems.

“The hostility towards journalists was more at the check points,” she said adding it’s only because of this hostility, the local reporters couldn’t report transparently on the ground reality. Also, due to the sudden communication shutdown, reporters are unable to file stories due to no internet connections. However, she said insurgency was more in 1990s in the valley. “During the 90’s, the media was not so vibrant, and there were only local Urdu newspapers preparing sketchy reports, journalists were abducted within a blink of an eye.”