Srinagar: 27, July-2020: J K Media Guild thanked the Lt Governor, Girish Chander Murmu, for nullifying the media policy 2020 which was designed and introduced by J & K Information and Public Relations department on June-06, 2020. The Guild in a statement said that it met here under the Chairmanship of, President Mir Aijaz Ahmad, and unanimously applauded the will & wisdom of the LG, who is understood to have agreed with the perception of media fraternity after J K Media Guild protested and translated the aggressive postures against media included in the policy.
“The implementation of a new un-constitutional and un-democratic media policy appears to have been designed and framed by a group of vested interest people in the information department to suppress the freedom of press without taking into confidence the administrative head of this Union Territory”.
The Guild President, Mir Aijaz said, “We don’t consider it any victory, we think, the government has corrected an error which was committed by a couple of vested interested people who attempted to create a wedge between the government and the media”. The LG’s statement is quite encouraging and also a slap on the face of corrupt bureaucrats and the clerical clergy, who misled the government to infringe the democratic and constitutional right of the media in this union territory. The Guild President, Mir Aijaz urged upon the government to involve the media representatives in the process of any media policy which is to be framed. He thanked the LG for including the social & electronic Media in the advertisement policy of the government and said, “In the changing times, this was the need of hour”. Aijaz added and pleaded that the government should also issue directions to various security agencies including local police to respect the members of the media fraternity while they are busy discharging their professional duties.
“Media in the country has always been respected as the 4th estate of Democracy and this constitutional tradition should not be compromised in Jammu & Kashmir for petty interests of the Babudom”.
“Mir Aijaz while concluding the hour long session which was participated by all the office bearers and executive members and also the representatives of the sister-associations which supported the cause and joined the protest march on 6th July-2020. Mir Ajaz thanked all the media houses, journalists, correspondents and photojournalists from J & K and the National media also, for the wide-spread coverage of the protest march and press releases”.(KINS)
