Srinagar: After banning the ads of two leading english dailies of Kashmir, Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader, the government on Tuesday banned another daily newspaper in Kashmir Uzma.

Uzma is an Urdu daily published by GK Communications Pvt Ltd that owns Greater Kashmir.

Kashmir Editors Guild in a statement regretted that while it was expecting the lifting of the ban on the government business to two major newspapers – The Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader – the government has added Kashmir Uzma to the list.

“The ban, as usual, is unexplained and implemented without conveying the decision to the newspaper,” it added. The Guild is led by GK Communications head Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo.

It said the ban is in the continuation with the onslaught that the Kashmir media has been facing since 1989.

“The onslaught has led to untold miseries to the media and the shaking of the the institution’s faith in democracy, the KEG said.

The statement said the KEG in a meeting on Tuesday discussed the fresh ban order and reiterated its stand that the ban is not only strangulating the media, but is also impacting the idea of democracy.

Interestingly, the ban came amid the electoral process that is governed by the Moral Code of Conduct. The Information Department has not conveyed the decision formally, the statement said.

It said the editors are at loss to understand the wisdom behind the undemocratic decision-making, specially at a time when the electioneering is in progress. 

The Guild has already approached the Press Council of India and will send yet another communication at the earliest, it said.