Srinagar: As the world observes the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, today, Kashmiri journalists continue to face harassment, arrests, and intimidation under India’s draconian laws in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Radio Pakistan, a report released by Kashmir Media Service on the occasion highlights that over 20 journalists have been detained, mostly in the occupied territory, under draconian laws since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014. The report claims the BJP-led regime is employing strong-arm tactics, including ‘revolving-door arrests,’ to silence independent media and control the narrative on Kashmir.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement issued in Srinagar, expressed that journalists are being punished for reporting the truth, while India’s ‘Godi media’ continues to propagate narratives aligned with the BJP’s communal and anti-Kashmir agenda. He called upon international human rights and media organizations to hold India accountable for turning journalism into a punishable act in the region.

Meanwhile, senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq emphasized the importance of dialogue, understanding, and compassion for fostering peace and reconciliation in Kashmir. He conveyed these views during a meeting with a delegation of the Delhi-based Concerned Citizens’ Group, led by former Indian minister Yashwant Sinha, at his residence in Srinagar. The meeting also addressed the prevailing political and humanitarian situation, including the plight of political detainees in Indian jails.