India: Attempts to strangle journalism in Kashmir

A case has been registered under the strictest and darkest law 'UAPA' against a woman photojournalist in Indian-administered Kashmir for allegedly engaging in illegal activities.

India's Kashmir youth photojournalist Musharraf Zuharan has called the police action against him an attempt by the administration to strangle journalism in Kashmir. The Kashmir Press Club has also condemned the case against Musharraf Zahrak and demanded it be withdrawn immediately.

Zusrat Zahra hails from Srinagar, Kashmir. He has been working for several international media organizations including India for the past several years. Many of his reports have been published in The Washington Post and Al Jazeera. She holds a MA in Journalism from Kashmir Central University, and most of her work in the sun-stricken area like the valley is related to troubled women, whose lives are ruined by violent conditions.

 The Kashmir police, however, have filed a case against them, mentioning them as merely a social media user rather than a journalist. Police say his posts on social media are anti-India and his provocative messages may incite young people to launch an armed uprising against India. That's why the administration has filed a lawsuit under the Anti-Illegal Activities Act (UAPA). This law is generally used against those who work against the integrity or sovereignty of the country.

Misrata Zaharan dismisses all the allegations as baseless, saying that it is nothing but an attempt by the police to suppress free journalism and factual reporting in Kashmir. Talking to the DW, he said, "I am neither a worker, I have nothing to do with any organization nor I have anything to do with politics. I am a journalist by profession and present facts according to all the rules and regulations of the profession and share them on social media as well. If this is not an attempt to crush truth-based journalism, what else is there? They are worried about it. "

Masrat said that she used to highlight women's problems and as a girl, women were able to talk openly with them and share their concerns. "Because I have easy access to women, they automatically make me feel awkward and I raise their voice."

 Maserat recently had a story on a woman suffering from mental stress in a tortured Kashmir. Her husband was killed in a "fake encounter" twenty years ago. In this regard he also took some pictures and shared the story on Twitter with the name "Kashmir Blades". He quoted an excerpt of the story as saying, "Asifa Jan keeps the notes in the newspaper clipping and the blood-stained blood of her husband, Abdul Qadir Sheikh, when the Indian army had shot him in suspicion of militancy. She says that the mental agony and pain I was given, I could not get out of it till now. "

The Kashmir administration does not like this kind of news and such posts have been dealt with as anti-national. Police issued a statement in this regard confirmed the case against Musharraf and also warned the public that they would refrain from posting "anti-national" on social networking websites, otherwise they would do so. Strict legal action will be taken against those. "

The Kashmir Press Club expressed solidarity with Musharraf, denying the case against Zahraqi and said that the organization had taken very strict notice of the action. Kashmiri journalists are often summoned to the police station, club secretary Ashfaq Tantre told DW. Responding to a question, he said, “Kashmiri journalists are very brave, they fulfill their professional responsibilities even in difficult situations. The administration will be trying to suppress them at some level. "

Last Saturday, another prominent Kashmiri journalist, Ashir Pirzada, was also harassed by police for his news and summoned to a police station in Anantnag, 60 km away. Pirzada works for the well-known English newspaper 'The Hindu'. He was summoned after news of a confrontation between the army and the militant, but police did not file a case against him. He said he traveled 120 km to attend the police station and it was nothing short of a punishment for him.