Mehbooba highlights concerns over press freedom in J&K

Srinagar : Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday raised concerns over the lack of government advertisements to ‘most’ of local news outlets and delays in the renewal of accreditations for senior journalists.
In a post on s”X” the micro blogging social networking site Mehbooba pointed out that even after three months of the new ‘popular government’ taking office, the Information Department continued to withhold advertisements. “It’s been over three months since the popular government took office, yet the information department continues to withhold advertisements to most news outlets.” She also highlighted the pending accreditation renewals for senior journalists. Urging CM Omar Abdullah to intervene and address the issue, Mehbooba Mufti said, “I urge Omer Sb to intervene and address these pressing issues so that the press can operate freely and without undue influence.” Notably, in December last year, CM Abdullah reviewed a meeting of the Information Department where detailed discussions were held on the advertisement policy for newspapers and media houses. The Chief Minister had stressed the importance of ensuring fairness and transparency in issuing advertisements based on circulation. He had urged the department to examine the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (formerly DAVP) criteria for advertisement rates and circulation assessments to develop a robust mechanism