Srinagar, January 15: Former Chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have termed the take over of Kashmir Press Club (KPC) by a group of journalists as a “state sponsored coup”.
Abdullah while tweeting the pictures of KPC showing armed forces in the courtyard of KPC, wrote;
“There is no government this “journalist” hasn’t sucked up to & no government he hasn’t lied on behalf of. I should know, I’ve seen both sides very closely. Now he’s benefited from a state sponsored coup”.
There is no government this “journalist” hasn’t sucked up to & no government he hasn’t lied on behalf of. I should know, I’ve seen both sides very closely. Now he’s benefited from a state sponsored coup. https://t.co/POIgQV2Ea7
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) January 15, 2022
Reacting to the development, PDP Chief, Mehbooba Mufti said that “state sponsored coup at KPC” would put the worst dictators to shame.
“Todays state sponsored coup at KPC would put the worst dictators to shame.State agencies here are too busy overthrowing elected bodies & firing govt employees instead of discharging their actual duties. Shame on those who aided & facilitated this coup against their own fraternity,” she wrote on twitter.
Todays state sponsored coup at KPC would put the worst dictators to shame.State agencies here are too busy overthrowing elected bodies & firing govt employees instead of discharging their actual duties. Shame on those who aided & facilitated this coup against their own fraternity https://t.co/SnyZYSt0mN
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 15, 2022
“These pictures convey the most obvious yet disturbing reality gripping Kashmir.Every illegal & undemocratic action undertaken by GOI is carried out at the barrel of a gun.The aim is to hide the growing number of skeletons tumbling out of the closet & scuttle honest reportage,” she further wrote.
These pictures convey the most obvious yet disturbing reality gripping Kashmir.Every illegal & undemocratic action undertaken by GOI is carried out at the barrel of a gun.The aim is to hide the growing number of skeletons tumbling out of the closet & scuttle honest reportage pic.twitter.com/0qKEWBYfsP
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 15, 2022
Earlier a statement referred to KPC stated that Muhammad Saleem Pandit Saturday took over as the interim President of Kashmir Press Club while as journalist Zulfikar Majid and Arshid Rasool will be General Secretary and the treasurer respectively.
“It is an open fact that the Kashmir Press Club at Poloview Srinagar founded in 2018 with immense efforts of the Kashmir based journalists who had unanimously handed over the responsibilities of the Club to veteran journalist M Saleem Pandit, who works with The Times of India (Tol) as the founding President,” reads the KPC statement.
It further said on January 15, 2022 various journalist organizations across Kashmir valley unanimously decided to form an interim body of three member since the KPC was headless as the previous body has completed its term.
Around nine Kashmir based journalist associations have expressed shock over what they termed as “illegal arbitrary takeover of the Kashmir Press Club (KPC)”.
“All the Kashmir-based journalists have expressed anguish over the illegal and arbitrary takeover of the Kashmir Press Club by some journalists with open support from the local administration. On January 15, the day when the administration had declared weekend lockdown in view of Covid surge, a group of journalists barged into the club office and forcibly took control of the club by keeping the office members hostage. Large number of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed beforehand for this highly condemnable and completely illegal move,”.