Crackdown on press freedom condemned as IIOJK media comes under siege

Political parties and civil society voices across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have strongly condemned the summoning of journalists by police authorities over coverage of profiling of mosques, terming it a deliberate attempt to intimidate the media and suppress independent reporting in the territory.

Over the past few days several journalists were asked to appear at Srinagar’s Cyber Police Station, where they were questioned about their news reports. Till late Tuesday, Indian police had issued no official clarification on the matter, fuelling concerns about coercion and lack of transparency.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti criticised the move, stating that journalists were being summoned to police stations and forced to sign bonds. She said such actions undermine press freedom and should be unequivocally condemned. PDP leader Iltija Mufti described the situation as alarming, alleging that journalists who report on what she called “illegal and dehumanising actions,” including intrusive surveillance of mosques and imams, are being threatened and silenced.