SRINAGAR: As the tug of war between the Jammu and Kashmir authorities and the opposition parties over the “restrictions on the press” continues, the militants are making a strong bid to control the media.

The distribution of all national dailies has been stopped in Kashmir valley since Wednesday, following threats to newspaper agencies by the militants. Newspaper sellers have put up boards “declaring” they do not sell Delhi dailies.

The dailies published from Jammu and Punjab was allowed to be sold here till Friday. Now they too have been banned by the militants.

Meanwhile the secessionist Jammu and Kashmir Liberate on Front (JKLF) has been attempting to launch a “parallel” media network, it clandestinely publishes a weekly and several posters which are pasted on public walls and distributed among its activists, especially in the downtown area. The JKLF publications regularly “describe incidents” in the Kashmir valley in which they claim that dozens of paramilitary troops have been killed by the JKLF

‘Whisper campaign

However the “claims of the JKLF” (which are totally denied by the authorities) do not find place even over the radio and television of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, which devote each of their time to developments in Kashmir.

The JKLF has launched a whisper campaign that all the newspapers published from Delhi and other Indian centers are “censored” and they are not reporting the incidents.

The newspapers of the Kashmir valley, most of them in the vernacular have decided to suspend their publication on the complaint that the curfew passes issued to them are insufficient. Since the curfew passes are valid only up to 9:30 am, it is difficult to bring out the paper in time, management of the local papers point out. Though the local media representatives have had a meeting with the Governor Mr. Jagmohan, no decision has been taken regarding the resumption of publication of local dailies.

Due to the non-availability of newspapers, residents have to depend on radio and television for news. Besides, Doordarshan, Pakistan Television is also viewed by several residents.

A team of the Editors Guild of India is to study the complaints about the restrictions of the press,

The authorities said they placed curbs on the foreign press since many of their earlier reports on Kashmir developments were highly exaggerated. The authorities claimed to have information about the burning of the Indian flag being specially staged for the benefit of the foreign media,

Incidentally a large number of media persons have arrived again in Kashmir in anticipation of a flare up of secessionist activities in the Valley on Sunday, the anniversary of the hanging of Maqbool Bhutt, a JKLF leader.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 16, 1990