Kashmir Journalist Bodies Seek Restoration of Press Club

Demanding the restoration of the status quo of the Club as of Jan 13, 2022, the meeting also resolved to seek an explanation from the registering authority about the grounds on which the club’s re-registration was put “in abeyance” and the club was shut down in an arbitrary manner.

SRINAGAR — In an extraordinary meeting, the journalists of the Kashmir valley on Thursday condemned the attempted forcible take-over by a tiny group of journalists and subsequent shutting down of the Kashmir Press Club by the J&K administration.

A statement issued in Srinagar and ratified by ten journalists’ associations said that the meeting was attended by 10 journalist organizations registered with the Kashmir Press Club that have come together under the umbrella of Kashmir Media Coalition. Senior journalists Altaf Hussain, Nazir Masoodi, and Mufti Islah also attended the meeting.

The journalists expressed gratitude to the various prominent journalist bodies — including Editors Guild of India, Press Council of India, Indian Union of Journalists, Foreign Correspondents Club, Chennai Press Club, Kolkata Press Club, Press Club of India, Mumbai Press Club, and Delhi Union of Journalists; and international media watchdogs Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) — for their support and solidarity.

Demanding the restoration of the status quo of the Kashmir Press Club as of January 13, 2022, the meeting also resolved to seek an explanation from the registering authority about the grounds on which the club’s re-registration was put “in abeyance” and the club was shut down in an arbitrary manner.

The journalist bodies resolved to explore all avenues for restoration of the Kashmir Press Club at the earliest. It also gave a week’s time to the last elected 11-member body to brief the journalist bodies about the developments with regard to the restoration of the Kashmir Press Club.

The collective has resolved to meet again on January 27, 2022, to chalk out the future course of action.

The associations that have ratified the statement include Anjuman Urdu Sahafat, Jammu and Kashmir Editors Association, Jammu and Kashmir Journalists Association, Jammu and Kashmir Press Association, Journalist Federation of Kashmir, Kashmir Journalist Association, Kashmir Press Photographers Association, Kashmir Union of Working Journalists, Kashmir Video Journalists Association, Kashmir Working Journalists Association.