Pakistan strongly condemns Indian repression of media, IOJK journalists’ harassment

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: As World Press Freedom Day was observed globally on Sunday, Pakistan expressed solidarity with the journalist fraternity in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), which continued to face a relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation.

“While saluting their exceptional courage, we also honour the sacrifice of those Kashmiri journalists who have laid down their lives in the line of duty. The latest among those martyrs was Shujaat Bukhari in June 2018,” Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

She commended the Kashmiri journalists for continuously working with conviction and professionalism, despite the heavy handedness of Indian occupation forces acting with impunity under the draconian Public Safety Act, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

She said the global media watchdogs, Indian and international human rights groups, and civil society organizations had expressed deep concerns over unprecedented restrictions imposed on the media, the widespread intimidation of Kashmiri journalists, and the precarious state of their work environment.

“It is clear that the RSS-inspired BJP Government is motivated by the sole objective of hiding its blatant human rights violations in IOJK and is bent on muzzling independent voices of the media and journalists,” she said.

The situation has become more alarming after India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 05, 2019, she added. 

Pakistan condemns this Indian campaign of harassment and intimidation and calls upon India to immediately lift all communication restrictions in IOJK; withdraw frivolous cases filed against Kashmiri journalists; and restore all fundamental freedoms of the Kashmiri people, the spokesperson remarked.