Among the most dangerous places for reporters to carry out their work is Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Many journalists have been killed in the area since 1989.
A report released on World Press Freedom Day says that following the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, press freedom in IIOJK has drastically decreased with local reporters experiencing harassment, monitoring, and black law prosecutions and foreign correspondents being barred access or deported for critical reporting.
Situation of journalists in IIOJK
It is pertinent to mention that many Kashmiri journalists who dared to question Modi are in jail right now.
Media workers had been arrested under anti-terrorism laws or repeatedly summoned by police for interrogation over their work, and authorities shut the independent Kashmir Press Club many times.
Rahim Hayat Qureshi, Pakistan’s ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, recently welcomed top journalists and analysts from the EU for a discussion about current events in the EU and around the world.
He talked about how India is still spreading false information about Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and gave Pakistan’s view on the situation.
In April, a senior journalist with Dainik Jagran– a Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper, was assaulted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers after questioning the party’s response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam in IIOJK.
The video went viral on social media, which exposed Modi’s party. The journalist was hospitalised for treatment after the attack.
In another news, Indian occupation forces have arrested over 2,000 Kashmiris from various districts of the valley, days after the killing of civilians in Pahalgam — an episode that Pakistan has strongly condemned.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the brutal crackdown primarily targets the youth, with young Kashmiris bearing the brunt of India’s barbaric actions.
In Islamabad district alone, more than 175 Kashmiri youths have been unlawfully detained and are being subjected to severe interrogation and torture.
