Tarigami: Stopping ads to Urdu daily regrettable

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 3

CPM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said on Wednesday that the government’s decision to stop advertisements to Urdu daily Kashmir Uzma after Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader is regrettable and unfortunate.

“The latest ban, like the previous one, has been repotedly implemented without conveying to the newspaper management. Such curbs on the fourth estate in a democratic set up are unacceptable. The authorities should ensure that the media, in one of the most sensitive states in the country, is not strangulated,” Tarigami said.

Putting bans on government advertisements to newspapers, he said, would impact the state and status of journalists and journalism in Kashmir. “It (Govt) cannot stop advertisements simply for being critical of the government. It is an arm-twisting tactic by the authorities. Attempts are being made to interfere in the freedom of the press by exerting financial pressure which is unfortunate,” he said.