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| Adviser gives wrong advice to Omar Abdullah | | | If the National Conference led Government has started victimising those newspapers which do not act as the Government's "mouthpiece" in Jammu and Kashmir it is nothing new and that too when the proginy of Sheikh Abdullah is in power. The Government, to be precise, the National Conference leadership has been in the forefront of those forces that are inimical to the freedom of Press. And those who believe in the art of muzzling the freedom of press are seen choking the flow of advertisement material to those newspapers that present news, views and opinions on the basis of facts. Well if one goes deep into the story of press muzzling in Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, is not to be blamed for it. Omar is too busy to decide on which paper should be flooded with advertisement support and which print establishment should be punished by stopping releasing advertisements. The Chief Minister is not in favour of muzzling the press. Like his father and grand father he too is a votary of press freedom. But the tragedy is that if people, specially those connected with the print media, blame Sheikh Abdullah or Farooq Abdullah for trying to victimise those newspaper editors and owners who refused to act as "yes men" of the Government they lose sight of those who had been responsible for curtailing press freedom by blocking Government advertisement.
Political leaders, especially those who head the Governments, are ignorant of the working of the print media, its requirement and of the importance of an ojective reporting. And those Chief Ministers who have been known for maintaining good relations with the print and the electronic media are able to do so when they are properly guided by those who head the Department of Information and Public Relations. It has been seen that the conflict between the Government and the media developes once the Chief Minister is given wrong advice and when the head of the Information Department misleads him. And if Omar is held guilty of victimising newspaper editors and owners it is not actually his fault. The two agencies that should be held responsible for the growing conflict between the media and the Government they are his adviser and the people who man the Information Department. Chief Minister is not to be blamed if the media accuse the Government of resorting to pick and choose policy as far as release of advertisements is concerned. Who then? Again it is his adviser and those who matter in the Department of Information. Another tragedy is that right from 1965 the state unit of the Congress has been known for its objective approach in dealing with newspaper editors, newsmen and the management. In fact the policy for cordial ties between the Congress and the print media had been formulated by none other than Mufti Mohd. Sayeed when he headed the party. Even after quitting the Congress he has been able to maintain good relations with the print media. But the same Congress is a helpless creature and has no guts to fight for press freedom even when it shares power with the National Conference. As its partner in power the Congress should have reacted, if not revolted, against the stoppage of advertisements to a leading newspaper in Jammu. It has not. Its leadership believes that why should it take up the matter with Chief Minister's adviser who could even throw out the Congress from the seat of power and run he Government with the support of the separatists. The most funny part of the story is that the Chief Minister seems to be a prisoner of his adviser. The same adviser is blamed for misleading Omar on various issues pertaining to the governance in the state. The same adviser is being held responsible for widenining the gap between the National Conference and the Congress. And the same adviser is the major domo in the Government that has been rendered blind making difficult for it to realise the importance of press freedom. |
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