The Kashmiriyat started in 1988, revival in 2017 has been struggling to provide truth and factual news and reports to its readers. in this pursuit of bringing the truth in an in-distorted shape, one of our editors, Qazi Shibli was arrested the last year in connection with multiple news and stories published on The Kashmiriyat. Our endeavor for the swiftest, in-depth and factual reportage will hereby continue- that is our oath to our readers.

India in general is witnessing heightened incidents of violence against Jounalists. Prominent journalist, Gauri Lankesh was murdered on a busy street. A report published on the Wire states that there have been at least 200 cases of attacks on Journalist since the coming of BJP into power in 2014 till 2019, 40 Journalists have been killed, 21 of these murders have been related to their journalistic activities.4

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In Kashmir, the recent FIRs on prominent Journalists including Gowhar Geelani is an open attack on the Freedom of speech and a brazen attempt to demonize the journalist fraternity, the state wants to polarize the Journalism in India into ‘Good and Bad Journalism’,  likewise they have been able to divide the society into a broad categorization of ‘Nationalists and Anti nationalists’. The harassment of Masarat Zehra, Peerzada Ashiq and many other journalists is a trend, the arrest of Kamran Yousuf and Asif Sultan too is equally a direct attack to the Freedom of speech.

Qazi Shibli’s arrest in July 28, the last year and later his lodgement in Bareilly jail, 1300 Kilometers away is a testimony to the shrinking space for facts, truth and unbiased reportage- a direct attack on the Freedom of speech.

The freedom of the press is your individual liberty, not a peculiar privilege of a profession or an industry. It is your right as a citizen to read what you want to read, to write what you think, and to publish what you believe. The press is neither the enemy of the people nor their ally, but rather its possession. That is why attacks on the press, one of the great bulwarks of liberty, seek to abridge or deprive the people of their rights.

We have seen where attacks on the media have lead, Whenever politicians have questioned the rights and legitimacy of the press, violence has frequently followed.