Why only J&K? Oppn questions Omar govt's order to 'verify' journalists

SRINAGAR: The J&K absorption questioned Wednesday the motive down the National Conference-led government's exhaustive recognition checklist for journalists, demanding to cognize if the caller rules meant to "monitor and restrict media" were being selectively enforced successful lone 1 portion of the country."The predetermination successful J&K was meant to reconstruct spot and dignity, not to regenerate 1 soundlessness with another. People did not ballot for control; they voted for the close to talk without fear. One of the loudest promises made was to scrap the media and societal media gag policy…What is the main minister's basal connected this?" PDP legislator Waheed Parra said.DIPR has asked media unit to taxable a agelong database of documents, including Aadhaar card, PAN, authoritative ID, affiliation oregon assignment missive from their respective media employers, wage connection for the past six months, world certificates, and details of the integer level they ain oregon enactment for.

They are besides required to stock links to their media platforms, Facebook page, YouTube channel, X (Twitter) relationship and Instagram page, if available.Parra said CM Omar Abdullah, who retains the accusation portfolio, indispensable clarify the intent down the latest directive. "Using vigilance and monitoring arsenic a pretext to intimidate journalists and constabulary nationalist look exposes a profoundly disturbing intent to power narratives, muzzle information and resistance J&K further into x surveillance.

H&K deserves openness, not oppression; transparency, not targeting."The DIPR circular was issued connected Nov 1 aft legislators took objection to a conception of the media circulating videos showing them browsing their phones during assembly proceedings.All territory accusation officers person been asked to guarantee "heightened vigilance and coordinated enactment to place fake journalists". The DIPR circular suggests immoderate radical whitethorn person been "misusing media for blackmail, extortion, coercion of officials, and circulation of unverified and defamatory worldly against nationalist institutions and officers".