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| Azad's dig at anti peace, anti development media draws flak from foes and friends alike | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Apr 14
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's dig at the alleged anti development and anti peace politicians in Kashmir and their pen wielding supporters has drawn flak from his foes and friends alike. Both factions of Hurriyat Conference have reacted sharply to the remarks made by Ghulam Nabi Azad at a public meeting at Ganderbal last week, lambasting the political leaders who are opposed to return of peace in the state, having developed vested interest in continuation of violence and chaos, dubbing them as enemies of progress and development. His sharp criticism of the media friendly to these elements, who he alleged that through their negative writings are trying to perpetuate abnormalcy and violence in the state, since they have gained and prospered at the cost of the suffering undergone by the common masses, have been termed as an outcome of frustration and negative thinking on his part, by the hardcore secessionist and Islamic fundamentalist leader Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani.
Adressing a public meeting at Hajan Chowk in district Bandipura, Geelani stated "I am not a counsel for media. They know how to plead and clarify their position. But the fact remains that they are a part and parcel of our society and nation. They mirror the conditions prevailing in the state in an objective way. They report what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They are witness to the atrocities on the people." Likewise Mir Waiz Maulvi Umer Farooq speaking at Jamia Masjid a day after Azad made the above referred to comments, said "Those who claim that only Hurriyat and media persons were beating the drum of right abuses in Kashmir can't see the access committed by troops. Those who speak like this should feel ashamed of their mindset."
This has been the reaction from the separatist camps in Kashmir. But the alliance partner of the Congress in the state government, the PDP too is not sparing of the remarks made by the Chief Minister, although the PDP did not directly referred to Ghulam Nabi Azad's dig at the media friendly to the 'enemies of peace and development', but it was at pains to defend the role of media in Kashmir during last 20 years of turmoil. A spokesperson of the PDP regretted that instead of acknowledging the laudable role that media played during last 20 years, charging the media persons of being hand in glove with enemies of peace and propagating their agenda is deplorable. "When everybody was fleeing Kashmir following the eruption of militancy, it were the common citizens of Kashmir and the media who braved the bullets to keep the hope for peace alive. The media played a vital role in the endeavor of keeping the hope alive, which has resulted into rejuvenating Jammu and Kashmir to its traditional glory of peace, tranquility and prosperity."
Although the media in Kashmir has by and large not reacted to the allegations made by the Chief Minister against them in a public meeting, according to the sources a deep resentment is brewing in the media circles in Kashmir over this dig of the Chief Minister of their role. On the other hand the nationalists and the section of media supporting the mainstream politics in Jammu and Kashmir has the feeling that though Chief Minister's remarks are based on facts, yet it is a tactical mistake to publically dig the role of the media, particularly when the government has done nothing to curb or even discourage anti national writings and propagation of anti national ideology by a section of media in Kashmir. Instead of publically condemning their role, the Chief Minister in the Congress led government in the sate was well advised to take some effective steps to discourage the prevailing trend among the media in Kashmir to eulogize the role of the secessionists and anti India elements. At least, the media should be made to realize that their negative and anti national approach will not get them the bonus.
This is also fact that anti India and pro secessionist section of newspapers in Kashmir, who subscribe to the ideology of three nations theory, describing Kashmiris as a separate nation, have lately thrived and prospered abundantly. They have been making the hay while the sun shines. But strangely these newspapers are also being patronized by the state government and its information department, with liberal advertisements being issued to them and other facilities provided at the cost of public exchequer.
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