A delegation of Jammu Kashmir Journalist Association (JAKJA) today called on the Press Council of India’s Fact-Finding Committee and apprised it of the problems the journalists in Kashmir Valley are facing for the past two years.
In a press release issued to The Kashmiriyat, The Journalist Association presented a memorandum to the Press Council of India’s Fact Finding Committee.
The memorandum reads: “We are pleased to know that PCI is touring Kashmir in order to find facts about the state of journalism in Kashmir post abrogation of article 370/35-A. As you are already aware how journalists have suffered for the past two years, journalists in Kashmir are working in an extremely hostile environment.”
“The Internet shutdown in August/September 2019-longest in years caused immense problems for the journalists, as they had to wait in long queues at a government facility where the access to Internet was provided in an open space. Media persons have endured the worst ever crisis as several journalists were beaten in the line of duty,” the memorandum reads.
“We expect that the state of journalism in Kashmir will be thoroughly investigated and the problems faced by the journalists here addressed forthwith. There are hundreds of journalists working in local media outlets. Scores of them have been laid off and almost all are facing pay cuts. They have already been working on unreasonable salaries. We seek your attention to the absence of a proper mechanism, on the lines of a wage board, about the fixation of remunerations for those working in newspaper offices here,” the Association informed the Press Council of India team.