Srinagar, Mar 16: Terming the police attack on the journalists at Hyderpora as the worst form of State sponsored terrorism, Hurriyat (M) spokesman has said that such incident points out towards the fact that Jammu and Kashmir has practically been converted into a police State.
Asserting that if the treatment with journalists by the State forces is such, it could easily be understood how the common people would be going through on daily basis.
Terming the mishandling of journalist Touseef Mustafa, Farooq Khan, Sheikh Masoodi, Imran Nissar and other as undermining the fourth pillar of democracy, the spokesman said that the freedom of speech and expression was under direct attack from the state. He further stated that this incident shows how difficult it is for the journalists to carry out their professional duty on the ground, adding, the government is using arm twist to pressurize the journalists so that the truth does not come out before the world.Terming the manhandling of the journalists by the police as violation of the democratic norms and human values, the spokesman said that it also exposes the tall claims of democracy and the freedom of speech of the rulers.
The spokesman lauded the work done by journalists in highlighting the cause of Kashmir around the world despite facing such coercion and intimidation from the state apparatus .Meanwhile chairman of JKLY Mohammad Yaseen Malik has also condemned the assault on journalists CPI (M) senior leader and MLA Kulgam, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami on Thursday condemned the police action against the media persons.Tarigami said that the police action against the media persons who were performing their professional duties is ‘violation of democratic norms’.He appealed the police officials to stop such kind of acts in the future. “Such action against the media persons must be stopped as performing the professional duties is not any crime. The media persons must be given free atmosphere to perform their professional duties,” he said. ( Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) president and former agriculture minister, Ghulam Hassan Mir on Thursday condemned the ‘assault on journalists’.
Terming the attack as ‘undemocratic’, Mir said The media persons who were performing their professional duties should not have been assaulted.”
He said that the police official involved in the act should be dealt with strictly according to the law. “The unnecessary action against the media persons is not good and the police officials must restrain themselves from carrying out such actions,” he added.
Hurriyat (M) ,Malik ,Tarigami ,Mir condemn ‘manhandling’ of journalists
