Press Club demands restoration

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 20

The Kashmir Press Club expressed concern over the Internet shutdown in Kashmir. It said the Internet blockade had entered its 107th day on Tuesday, demanding the government to lift the ban.

The Press Club Management Committee observed that for journalists in Kashmir, the communication blackout had meant minuscule access to the world and over 100 days of deprivation and humiliation.

Since August 5, the mediapersons in Kashmir have been deprived of Internet and broadband services in their offices, hampering their work. Recently, the authorities made undertakings must for the restoration of Internet in the Valley, stipulating to keep unfettered access to content and infrastructure of the Internet users.

The Press Club meeting termed the restrictions as “totally unwarranted, unreasonable and aimed at gagging the Kashmir press”.

In a statement, the club observed that due to the communication blockade, newspapers in Kashmir had not been able to upload their Internet editions and update their websites, which in turn had led to a drastic job cut, besides loss of online advertisement revenue.

The club has urged the government to take note of the hardships faced by the media fraternity and ensure restoration of the Internet services to the journalists and newspapers offices without any delay.

The government has provided only 10 computers to the journalists at the Media Facilitation Centre.

The club said the journalists had to go through the humiliating grind daily and wait for their turn at the media centre to file their stories in biting cold.