Fake Terror Threats’ to journalists in Kashmir

 

From “Geelani Wali Azadi” to Hoisting of tricolors everything reported impartially

Mudasir Yaqoob

Srinagar, Nov 15: The recent terror threats to media pesons or media houses in past few days has created panic among media fraternity. The posters, posts and threatening letters by terror outfits named the journalists and media houses, asking them to be ready to get “killed.”

 

 

Police on Saturday filed a case against terrorists and handlers belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and one of its offshoots for sending threat letters to journalists in Kashmir.

 

 

ANN News talked to various top officials and prima facie it appears that the threat letters are “fake.”

The media houses in Kashmir have been working independently and reported impartially. The job of journalists are to report happenings, disseminate information.

In 2008, 2010 and 2016 Kashmir witnessed unrest for months together, the media houses reported then about hoisting of Pakistani flags, anti-government protests and civilian killings. These all reports were only facts and media never had any agenda behind such reports.

 

The newspapers came up with headlines which were also seen then as “provoking headlines” or “promonting enmity or war against government.” But the fact remains that media only reported what was happening then.

Recently, the newspapers were flooded with the news-stories about hoisting of tricolours across Kashmir which again was only the facts happening in Kashmir. Social media also remained abuzz with the videos showing children singing the national anthem, participating in Azadi Ka Mahotsav.

 

Journalists job is to report only facts. The facts cannot be distorted in reporting to appease any group or individual. Reporting facts is a sacred job of journalists and it has no agenda except to report professionally. When Pakistani flags were hoisted in Kashmir, media reported. Today, when tricolours are being hoisted everywhere, media reports.

 

 

In 2008, when separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani held a massive rally at TRC Ground Srinagar, vibrating atmosphere with Azaadi Slogans, the newspapers run it as a package and lead stories. Media reported civilian killings in 2008, 2010, 2016 accusing security forces of exceeding use of force to disperse mobs. Of course, those reports might have pleased the terrorists, their handlers and sympathizers. But the media has no intention to appease anyone but to report only facts, happenings on ground then.

 

 

Recently, the Home Minister held a massive public rally in north Kashmir’s district Baramulla. The media run that also as a package and lead stories without any agenda or bais. It was again the professional duty of journalists to report and disseminate information to people. However, some quarters took as “ill-will reporting, biased and impartial reporting. The reason, obviously, was that the changing scenario of Kashmir politics doesn’t suit them. They want to see headlines only of “Hartal, civilian killings, stone pelting, participation of people in Nimaz-e-Jinazah.”

 

 

In 2008, 2010 and 2016, when reported facts, all those stories were dubbed as “Pakistani agenda” then by some quarters. Now, reportng facts, journalists are dubbed as “stooges, agents” by terrorist outfits, their offshoots and sympatizers.

The current happenings on ground doesn’t suit to some people. They dislike what is happening on ground like hoisting of tricolours, thousands of people participating in political rallies.

Media cannot distort facts to appease anyone. The job of the journalist is to report facts, disseminate true and correct information. Journalists did it earlier, they are doing it now, despite all pressures, life threats; they never budge to any pressure or threat and continue to perform professional duties.

At some occasions, Journalists were beaten by Police while they were covering protests, some were killeed by terrorists for reporting what was against the interest of terror outfits.

The fact remains that Kashmir has changed, facts have changed, people have opted for peace. Media is a reflection of society. When there is violence you see it in news reports, when there is peace you feel it in news stories.

The ground reality today is that the headlines and news-stories have also changed because there is change on ground. The change; obituary replaced by awards, stone-pelting replaced by singing of national anthem, green flags by tricolours, clashes between civilian and security forces has been replaced by execution of slogan “Awaam Aur Jawaan Aman Hai Muqaam.”

 

The recent threat letters naming journalists is nothing but an effort to stop the media houses from reporting truth in Kashmir. It can be a serious issue but it is not a serious threat. The issue is serious because it has raised questions over the functioning of Police which so far is unable to nab the creators and posters of these threat letters. The threat is not serious because prima facie it appears letters are fake.

Top officials said that these threat letters are fake and investigation has been taken up, “culprits will be behind the bars soon.”

 

 

The fact remains that from “Geelani Wali Azadi” to singing of national-anthem in Kashmir, TRC Geelani rally to Home Minister’s Baramulla rally, media reported everything impartially. The media will continue to report facts without distorting them, giving no damn to it, irrespective of who issues these fake threats.