The tussle between the media, Indian military and police in Indian Administered Kashmir has run into decades now. Journalists are intimidated and harassed while doing their job in what is an extremely hostile environment.
At the forefront of this oppression are the photojournalists and camera crew of various newspapers and Channels whose presence is being frowned upon by the Indian troopers who accuse them of favouritism.
Their mode of protest being the boycott of coverage of any events being hosted by the Indian troopers or police. Farooq Khan, President of the Photojournalists Association here, said that presently they do not cover any event the Indian police organize after they used excessive force on them.
“We recently removed our boycott against the Central Reserve Police Force - the primary paramilitary force deployed in the Valley to tackle the insurgency, after they assured photojournalists of non intervention while doing their job."
Khan who has several times been subjected to beating said that we are more noticeable as we carry equipment along with us and the use of this equipment is not liked by the Indian troopers. Khan says that among the media fraternity working here the photojournalists and cameramen working with local and international organizations are more targeted as they are the first to reach the spot of any scene of violence, that takes place.
“A reporter or a correspondent is secure as he can gather information from sources, but we photographers are more exposed to the violence going around,” said Khan adding that in 2008 more than 15 photojournalists and camera crew of different channels were severely injured while covering the events.
In 2008 a cameramen working with a local cable channel, Javaid Ahmad Mir lost his life while doing the job of a journalist. With the loss of Mir the toll of media persons working in private sector during the two decade long insurgency here has risen to14.
Fayaz Ahmad a photojournalist working for International News Agency here says that their job carries an additional risk as that is why many have lost their lives while carrying out the work.
“One has not only to protect himself but the costly equipment he is carrying with him in situations that are beyond our control. The pictures or footage we capture cannot be denied and the troopers are aware of this fact that is why they hinder our work,” said Ahmad.
Raashid Wani a cameraman with the Indian owned media channel Shahra Samay was severely beaten two times while covering events last year in the city. Wani said that no action against Indian troopers or police involved in any repressive action against media is taken giving them a free hand to carry out more even though promises are made by the government authorities.
Narrating one of the incidents at Soura Srinagar in July 2008, where a routine protest against Indian police inaction was going on after a fire incident in one of Mosques, Wani said they were charged by troopers injuring him severely and damaging his video camera.
“After getting injured I was picked up by a team of firefighters who bundled me into a fire tender and took me to the hospital,” said Wani adding that after the incident he was assured of action against the Indian troops , but nothing concrete came out and in August 2008 he was again manhandled at Lasjan on outskirts of Srinagar city.
Mukhtar Khan who works for an International news agency says he's been thrashed more than a dozen times. He feels that they are an easy target for the Indian troopers to vent their anger upon and sometimes people too get angry with them. “People too get infuriated with us. Accusing us of siding with the police or troopers,” said Khan adding that people also get angry if their pictures do not appear in the international agencies they work for.
The President of the Photojournalists Association said that their modest protest has very little effect on changing their working conditions.
Photograph of Indian policeman chase Raashid Wani a cameraman working for an Indian owned media channel Shahra Samay who was severely beaten while covering events in the city.
]]>The tourism sector, one of the corner stones of the economy of the Indian Administered Kashmir, seems to be in jeopardy. Tourist arrival rates have taken a nose dive ever since concocted media reports of the presence of ‘Taliban’ in the region. These reports dealt such a blow that local tour operators say that the tourism has fallen by 80% while the government authorities say that the fall is more than 50%.
The misleading reports that Taliban had entered the valley in a good number were run by a leading Indian Television Channel. The channel said it got access to some wireless intercept reportedly suggesting that a group of nearly 20 militants, said to be Taliban, were fighting the Army in the Gurez sector of North Kashmir.
The news quickly hit the inflow of tourists and the first causality was the Tulip carnival held at the onset of Spring to signal the arrival of tourist season in the region. The carnival is organized by the state run tourism department along with the floriculture department at South Asia's largest Tulip garden set up near the banks of Dal lake. These government departments had great expectations that this year the carnival would add to their revenue as the Tulip garden expansion has been criticized for being wasteful expenditure with less returns.
In 2008 the authorities had projected that the revenues would go up every year and that ‘Tulipmania’ would grip the political class and tourists and bowl over producers from the Indian Film Industry who might also be interested in shooting in the garden.
The tulip garden this year had 70 different varieties imported from Holland spread over several hectares, but the festive mood was eclipsed after the 'Taliban' news reports. What these reports produced was cancellations of bookings by the tourists expected to arrive from other Indian Sates and some foreign nations.
The Chief Minister of Indian Administered Kashmir Omer Abdullah who himself is a admirer of this Tulip garden went into the damage control mode saying that the reports were not based on factual findings. After the Indian Home Ministry sought reports from the Army on the presence of ‘Taliban’ the Indian Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor too cleared the air by saying that there are no traces of Taliban in the region. The army recently paraded a militant belonging to Pakistan, reportedly in caught by them, and maneuvered him to refute Taliban presence in this region.
The tourism department is once again trying to woo tourists, even though the tulips have withered and Taliban presence, such that it was, has vanished, but the result is a big dent in the tourism economy of Indian Administered Kashmir.
]]>It was after two decades that sculptors from India landed in Indian held Kashmir to take part in a camp organized by the government run Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages (JKAACL) which looks after Cultural and Art related activities in the troubled region.
Even though Kashmir has produced some sculptors of international repute this art form could not grow because of the decades of turmoil, war and repression in the region.
The best sculptures are visible at a number of preserved sites such as, Pandretan, Avantipur and Martand and several places dotted around the winter capital, Srinagar.
Noted Kashmiri historian Fida Muhammad Hussein, a former director of the department of archaeology in the state of Jammu, asserted that history is witness that the local stone has long been utilized to create several sculptured marvels which still exist in many locations in the valley.
“Within the valley we have structures that point to a visible link to the Greek pattern of sculpture," said Hussein. "One can trace this development which started in neighbouring Pakistan. The famous Indus valley site of Mohenjodado is representative of this and is from where sculpture must have later come to Kashmir also,” explained Hussein adding that the activity was dominated by evolving patterns representing gods and goddesses in the stones.
However, the patterns created by the Indian artists at the camp depicted different themes together with the local group who displayed their creations alongside.
Gayoor Hassan, a prominent sculptor from Kashmir, said that we are not sensitive to this artform and we must once again make efforts to rejuvenate it here.
"Something has to happen to revive and secure this art, a significant change of policy must take place or we will loose a lot,” said Hassan.
The Indian artists, who were amazed to see the rich collection that the local Cultural Academy have in its possession, also stressed the need for safeguarding.
Pretty Khair a sculptor based in Indian city of Baroda, MadhayPrasdesh said that she traveled to the region for the first time and was astounded to see the sculptures belonging the government art body.
The local authorities say that the collection with the Academy is a result of the sculptor camps that have been organized since 1950 when the JKAACL was created.
The officials said that the present camp, held after a a gap of 21 years, had added another 12 pieces to the collection.
Haroon Rashid, a top official with the cultural body, said that they are trying their best to revive art forms in the region.