On Friday, former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu Kashmir and PDP Cheif Ms. Mehbooba Mufti, taking a dig at the government of India after arrest of journalist Fahad Shah, took to her Twitter handle and asked, “How many Fahads will you arrest?”
“Standing up for the truth is deemed anti-national. Showing the mirror to a deeply intolerant & authoritarian government is also anti-national. Fahad’s journalistic work speaks for itself & depicts the ground reality unpalatable to GOI. How many Fahad’s will you arrest?” Ms. Mufti said after Fahad was arrested by the Jammu Kashmir police on Friday.
Official sources told The Kashmiriyat that Fahad has been booked under section 13 UAPA (punishment for unlawful activities), IPC 124 A (sedition) and IPC 505 (intent to incite).
It is pertinent to mention that journalist Fahad Shah was called in for questioning on January 31, along with journalist Majid Hyderi, in connection with a case registered following an encounter in Pulwama, wherein the forces had claimed that four militants had been killed. Apparently, the two were summoned for “incorrect reporting.”
Fahad confirmed on his Twitter handle on Tuesday that he had returned home after questioning.
Fahad Shah’s magazine The Kashmir Walla had reported the version of the family, who on record, claimed that their son Inayat killed during the encounter in Pulwama on January 30 was innocent and not a militant, a claim which was denied by Jammu Kashmir Police.
A member of The Kashmir Walla confirmed the arrest to The Kashmiriyat over the phone and said Fahad had been summoned by the Police. “He left the office around 4 p.m. and did not come back. We have not been formally told of the charges yet,” he said.