The latest in the row of revelations made by The Wire under the Pegasus Project revealed that more than 25 telephone numbers of various political figures, journalists and activists associated in the Kashmir Valley made it to the list of potential surveillance targets.
Atleast 5 journalists based in Kashmir were the targets of surveillance. These include Muzamil Jaleel (The Indian Express), Aurangzeb Naqshbandi (Hindustan Times back then), Iftikhar Geelani (DNA formerly) and Sumir Kaul (PTI). The Wire says that the name of the fifth journalist was withheld on their request.
A Delhi-based political commentator from Kashmir, Shabir Hussain, appeared on the list too.
Earlier this week, on 19th July, ETV Baharat had reported that some of journalists refused to comment on the potential surveillance.
While, couple of them shared their views and called the revelations “shocking.”
Journalist Iftikhar Geelani was reported saying that he was extremely shocked after finding himself on the list of potential targets for surveillance.
He said, “I didn’t know I was so important to the Indian and Israeli agencies that they would waste their time in spying over my phone.”
Another journalist from the Valley, Aurangzeb Naqshbandi, expressing the same sentiments, said that he could have never imagined that such a thing could happen to him.
“It is unbelievably shocking. I have pursued journalism in an utmost professional and honest manner throughout my career and will continue to do so in future. This is an uncomfortable and unwanted spotlight on me. However, my
endeavour has always been and would always be on my work as a journalist,” Naqshbandi had stated.
The report also makes a mention of certain patterns in surveillance. It says that Jaleel and Naqshbandi’s telephone numbers appear in the database at the same time in mid 2018, while Kaul and Husaain’s number together in early 2019.
Kaul happens to be the senior national editor at the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Based in Delhi, Kaul covers Kashmir for the PTI. “I am totally surprised to learn this,” The Wire reported him saying.