New Delhi, May 11, 2020 (PPI-OT): A section of Indian civil society is up in arms against US-based Pulitzer Board for awarding the coveted prize to two Kashmiri photojournalists for their work during the crippling military lockdown following abrogation of occupied Kashmir’s special status on August 5, last year.
Around 16 vice-chancellors of Indian universities, retired defence personnel, former senior bureaucrats, Olympians and five Padma Shri awardees are among the over 100 people who have signed an open letter to the administrator, board and jury of the Pulitzer Prize 2020, objecting to the award given to the two Kashmir Valley based photojournalists, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin.
Besides Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin, a Jammu-based journalist, Channi Anand, was also given the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in the Feature Photography category for their coverage on occupied Kashmir. All the three photojournalists are working with US-based Associated Press news agency. While awarding the Kashdmiri photographers, the Pulitzer had said they were selected for their striking images of life in the disputed territory.
Terming their work as important and superb, the AP’s president and CEO Gary Pruitt had said, “Thanks to the team inside Kashmir, the world was able to witness a dramatic escalation of the long struggle over the region’s independence.”
In the open letter, the Indian signatories claimed, “Ironically, by giving the prize to photographers like Dar Yasin and Mukhtar Khan, you are promoting journalism and photography of lies, misrepresentation of facts and separatism.” The group raised objection to the award given to Mukhtar and Yasin, claiming that both used the term ‘India-controlled Kashmir’ in captions of their pictures.
Interestingly, the name of Jammu based Channi Anand has not been included in the letter might be because of his Hindu origin. In the letter, the objection has also been raised against the usage of words – ‘For striking images of life in the contested territory of Kashmir as India revoked its independence, executed through a communications blackout’ in the citation of the award.
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