Journalism under heinous siege

Tasaduq Maqbool
In the present hour of chaos and uncertainty when some nobel professionals are tirelessly working for people and to purge the world of the novel itsy bitsy virus, government is impudently slapping the media personnel with the draconian acts. These bizarre and preposterous happenings are peculiar to Kashmir. Since COVID-19 made an appearance in India, we have been infuriated with the unprecedented drama of which Indian extremists, India filthy media and off course the government are a part. The drama seems goes on unstopped! In its introductory episode the Tablighi Jamatees were accused of spreading the COVID-19 in India which later on proved baseless. The Indian jingoistic media recklessly demonized them and tried to defame Muslims in India. They were tortured and blamed as if they had triggered the manace of COVID-19. Owing to such torture, some Tablighi Jamatees committed suicide. Some were bashed up by Indian extremists and so called nationalists. Then some kind of magic diverted 5,000 test kits to Jammu which basically were designed for kashmir. Unfortunately the worst phase of this monstrous drama is currently in progress. This brutal phase has started to terrorize the journalism in Kashmir. Three Kashmiri Journalists Peerzada Ashiq (J&K correspondent for “The Hundu” newspaper), Masrat Zahra and Gowhar Geelani (a journalist cum author) have been booked on charges of unlawful activities through social media posts. Well, this is another barbaric act of the government which can assist us to guage the democratic setup of India. No matter how true and lucid you are, the Indian democracy cannot stomach your veracious remarks about Kashmir. You will be slapped with the draconian acts, you will be tagged with filthy cognomen (terrorist) and the jingoistic Indian media shall demonize you for sure! This is one of the umpteen tragedies of dwelling in Kashmir, I guess. The article 19 of Indian constitution that guarantees the freedom of speech and expression has been snubbed many a time by the Indian govt. masquerading as a democratic one. Well, i would call your acts the typical epitomes of Paradox! When the constitution is providing us the freedom of speech, why are you snatching it back! You regard Kashmir as your integral part, then why you snub, torture and torment us. Why are you denying us of even the basic rights! Journalists are supposed to seek the truth and make people cognizant about it. They are supposed to applaud the stuff abound in certitude. They can’t please everybody rather they need not! They narrate the panoramas occurring in the community so as to infuse people with the consciousness of the society they live in. They put different stories before people so as to enable those fathom and figure out the social issues in a full swing. They can’t delude people and lead them towards falsehood, doubt and illusion. The journalists willingly expose themselves to danger for the sake of community and for the truth to prevail.
In a militarized zone like Kashmir, it has become a herculean task for the journalists to collect, write and distribute the vivid News ad the facts. The journalism in Kashmir is literally handcuffed and so the journalists. The agile cyber cell in Kashmir remains all agog to hear or see the stuffs related to Kashmir conflict. This curb on journalism seduces journalists to unwrap only the satiny slice of the community. They have not got the freedom to narrate true stories. Whosoever tries to portray the real picture gets punished ruthlessly.
The half dead mothers, the sobbing children, the restless young men and women living in Kashmir can fill a library of books with the hitches they have faced, the genocides they have witnessed and the torment which they have survived.
Recently our 3 brave journalists have been booked under draconian act for no fault of theirs. We possess countless reasons to condemn this barbaric act of the government. Being the residents of a conflict and highly militarized zone, we can’t afford to lose such brave, honest and voracious journalists. With their services we remain in touch with the world. The tyranny and barbarism in kashmir are rife. How can we afford to be the space cadets in such a brutal zone. We can’t remain cut off from the world. We have to get acquainted with the issues and hitches our society is confronting currently. Hence we require the services of our honest journalists performed in objective and impartial way. The journalists narrate the stories on our behalf for they represent the whole society. Snatching form them the freedom of speech is like sealing off the lips of all the community members! The half dead mothers, the sobbing children, the restless young men and women living in Kashmir can fill a library of books with the hitches they have faced, the genocides they have witnessed and the torment which they have survived. If not our journalists, then who will report the circumstances kashmiris are going through. Their headache is ours, their hitches are our obstacles. So whenever trouble whorls any media personnel it becomes a social problem. Messing up with journalism in the present giddy times can’t veil the truth. This substandard act will trigger cataclysmic repercussions!
(The author is BSc Nursing student at the Institute of Nursing, south campus, University of Kashmir. Views are his own, [email protected])