Big blow to freedom of press: Hakeem Yaseen

Srinagar, Jan 18: Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) Chairman Hakeem Yaseen Tuesday flayed the government’s decision to take over Kashmir Press Club and described it as a “blatant move to throttle the freedom of the press”.

In a statement issued here, Yaseen while criticising the government for closing down the Kashmir Press Club arbitrarily said that the decision amounts to an onslaught on the working of the press.

He said closing Kashmir Press Club was aimed at impeding the facilities provided to media persons to work in a free atmosphere.

Yaseen said that the press was the fourth pillar of democracy and by closing Kashmir Press Club, J&K had brought a bad name to India – the largest democratic country, in the free world order.

He said that the Kashmir Press Club had been established after putting a long struggle by the Kashmir journalist fraternity, which had been ruthlessly trampled by the ill-conceived policies of the present dispensation.

“It was heart-wrenching that Instead of providing more facilities to media in Kashmir, existing press infrastructure was being clipped slow and steadily in a planned manner to satiate the vested political interests,” Yaseen said.

He demanded that the premises of the snatched Kashmir Press Club be restored immediately as media in Kashmir was already working under immense stress.