Srinagar, October 26, 2019 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, journalists in South Kashmir’s Islamabad and Pulwama districts are up in arms against the authorities for not allowing them to avail the internet facilities. The authorities have created ‘Media Facilitation Centre’ in Srinagar for the journalists but no such facility is available to the scribes in Islamabad and Pulwama. A number of journalists from these districts told media that they have to travel to Srinagar to check their emails and send the stuff to their agencies.
“We spent over Rs 500 on daily basis to reach Srinagar. There is no internet facility in our district,” said a freelance journalist, Muneeb-ul-Islam. Another journalist Wasim Dar said that district administration Islamabad told them categorically that higher ups have issued directions to them not to provide any internet facility to journalists in the district. “We were disappointed at the response from district administration when we met the officials,” he said.
Same situation persists in Pulwama district as well. Senior photojournalist associated with “Rising Kashmir’, Nisar Elahi, said that he visits Srinagar to avail internet facility. “It is cumbersome for me. I leave back to my town on my Scooty when it is dark. Besides, I have to bear expenses on daily basis,” he said.
Journalists are facing tough time across occupied Kashmir. Since August 5, when Government of India repealed special status of Kashmir, common people have been barred from using internet facility while for journalists in Srinagar, a ‘Media Facilitation Centre’ has been created where journalists have to wait for their turn to avail the facility.
For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org