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| ‘ET is a mirror; It shows beauty and grey areas’ | | Bad habits die hard! | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Dec 11: Bad habits die hard. This is how a senior Srinagar based journalist had to say on punishing Early Times by denying it the share it deserves in government advertisements.
The senior scribe while quoting history said the second oldest profession was always taken for granted by National Conference. Ghulam Muhammad Kashfi was a renowned journalist and created a niche for himself in the pre-partition era. According to Mir Ghulam Rasool Nazki, Kashfi became Khidmat's editor in 1943. His unique style of writing and presenting news added new dimensions to Khidmat.
Notwithstanding Kashfi's indefatigable efforts to popularize National Conference, Moulana Masoodi and Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah were not happy with him. One day Masoodi stepped into his office and gave Kashfi a scornful look. A shattered, scared and shocked Kashfi asked reasons for his anger. "You do not prefix Quaid-e-Azam to the name of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah," Masoodi retorted. Kashfi refused to succumb.
The incident was reported to Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah who beat him up to pulp with a hockey stick. In 1947, when state came under Indian rule, going got tough for Kashfi for host of reasons. Several people, including Moulana Masoodi, started conspiring against him. Kashfi had to migrate to Muzaffarabad to escape Sher-e-Kashmir's wrath.
Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz and JN Sathu also suffered for their fearless reporting. When Sheikh Abdullah assumed power in 1947, Hamdard was subjected to censorship. The censorship was strictly enforced after the 1947 war. Prem Nath Bazaz was arrested on October 21, 1947. Later, he was exiled. During this period (1947-50) Sathu ran the Hamdard. In that same year, the Hamdard published Sir Zaffarullah Khan's speech at the UN. It created a storm in the Valley. Sathu narrated, "Sheikh Abdullah was the emergency administrator. Shyam Lal Wanth, a close aide of Sheikh Abdullah, beat up a Hamdard hawker and threatened him to stop selling the newspaper or face dire consequences."
Next day the Hamdard carried the incident and Sathu wrote a letter to Sheikh Abdullah. The letter read, "If the government is determined to suppress and muzzle the voice of press as is evident from the attitude of Shyam Lal Wanth, I can assure you we will resist to our last breath."
This year, the NC coalition government summoned three editors to explain their position on the floor of the Legislative assembly. This was followed by registering a false case against Early Times. The press was sealed and the editor and other staffers harassed. Living up to the traditions of National Conference, NC has become increasingly intolerant to media criticism, thereby defeating the very object of democracy.
Interestingly, the department of information has to give advertisements to the papers keeping in view their popularity and circulation. If this criterion is honestly applies then Early Times cannot be deprived of its share in government advertisements. As per established precedents, the views expressed by the newspaper cannot be linked to flow of advertisements from the information department.
Early Times has only acted as a mirror and a mirror should not be blamed if the person looking into it gets horrified. A mirror shows the beautiful curves in one's body but it also shows the pimples. Early Times has done just that. Can it invoke penal consequences for that? This is where the esteemed readers of Early Times have to apply their mind and act accordingly. As far as Early Times is concerned, it shall never fail its esteemed readers. |
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