In a dramatic development on 15 January, a group of journalists and newspaper owners reached the Kashmir Press Club in the presence of armed forces and captured it. Later, the Jammu and Kashmir administration took it under its control citing disagreements among several groups of journalists.
Srinagar: The sudden closure of the Kashmir Press Club (KPC) by some journalists in Jammu and Kashmir after it was ‘coupled’ by the government has had a negative impact, especially on the women journalists here.
Most of these women journalists believe that they have lost their second home. The government had also announced the closure of KPC and cancellation of allotment of its premises on January 17.
KPCs have been used by civil society organizations, political parties, business establishments and associations for press conferences.
Most importantly, the KPC was considered a suitable venue for attacks on local journalists, harassment or summoning by government agencies, or discussion of security of journalists and issuing regular statements when internet connections were shut down by the administration.
Even when the government justified the closure of the KPC by saying that it was done to ensure the safety of journalists, the government’s move was widely criticized by journalists and journalist organizations across the country and called for the forced closure of the KPC. There was a demand to conduct an independent investigation and reopen it.
The club has about 12 women journalists who are registered members. Other working women journalists are also allowed to join the KPC. There was also a separate ladies lounge for women journalists.
Soon after some journalists illegally took over the KPC, the former elected management body of the KPC officially nominated two women journalists to the 13-member committee.
Mohsina Malik, a young journalist from Srinagar and currently working in a weekly newspaper and portal ‘Free Press Kashmir’, said, “KPC, which was always buzzing with young and senior journalists of the valley, should shut down such a place, in fact journalists. There is another attempt to suppress the voice of the people and crush their rights.
She said she and some of her colleagues are disappointed as they now have no place to gather.
He said, ‘KPC was like a second home for young journalists like me. I rarely went to KPC and met my seniors and fellow young journalists. We used to talk and encourage and support each other. This place gave me a reason to move on and focus on my work.
KPC had other benefits as well. Mohsina said, “It has always been helpful to share story ideas and listen to senior journalists. With the closure of KPC, we have lost a great learning place, where we often met enthusiastic journalists.
Mohsina says that being a woman and a journalist in Kashmir has never been easier.
She said, ‘I always felt that I can share my fears and problems in KPC without any hesitation with my colleagues and other journalists who can understand me better.’
For Razia Noor, the Kashmir correspondent of Dainik Jagran newspaper, KPC had the same role in her life.
She said, ‘As a woman journalist I would like to say that this was the last place where we felt comfortable and safe and could meet our colleagues but now this bustling space has been taken away from us.’
Another young freelance journalist, Kurtulain Rahbar, expressed the same disappointment as Razia at the closure of KPC. “I think we have been left on our own terms with the closure of KPC,” he said.
Rahbar said, ‘Being a young journalist, I have always been keen to learn from my senior journalists there and always took suggestions or career advice from them. I always felt that it is a safe place for women journalists like me.
Arjumand Shaheen, another freelance journalist who writes for a local magazine, said that freelancers like him don’t have a specific place to work. He said, ‘KPC was a place for me to work and rest. With the closure of KPC, I feel as if my own office has been closed.
She further said, ‘Being a woman, I would have preferred a place like KPC to work instead of a cafe or any place on the roadside. The same would have happened in the case of meeting friends or fellow journalists.
Arjumand said, “Apart from working in KPC, it is also a great place to meet or know about your senior and experienced journalists. It was a learning experience to interact with him and share ideas with him. Being a young journalist and being new to this field, I got acquainted with the different situations and their working methods. I got to learn a lot there.
Freelance journalist Farzana Nisar, who has been working in Kashmir for the last four years, described the forcible capture and closure of the KPC as yet another attempt to trample on freedom of expression and silence independent journalists in Kashmir.
Farzana said, “Over the years, we have seen a new generation of young independent journalists from Kashmir, who are doing their best to bring out important and factual reports. This club was like a second home to him. It is clear that the administration is trying to control and suppress the narrative by closing the working and meeting places of journalists.
Farzana believes that the KPC, especially women journalists, used to make women journalists feel a sense of security amid the increasing harassment and repression of journalists by the administration after the removal of Article 370 by the Central Government on August 5, 2019.
He said, ‘KPC remained open for journalists even during six months of lockdown and communication system came to a standstill. Beyond physical protection and professional support, KPC members were encouraged to be here in each other’s presence during difficult times.
“At a time when photos of Muslim women are being virtually auctioned on apps like Bully Bye and Sully Deals, the professional support from independent press bodies like KPC was unmatched but now it seems to be the last resort,” he said. Gone too.
(Click here to read this report in English.)
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