ISLAMABAD, Dec 17 (APP):A delegation of senior journalists from Azad Jammu and Kashmir visited the central office of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on the invitation of its Information Secretary Mushtaq Ahmad Butt, where speakers stressed the need for a coordinated and sustained media strategy to highlight the situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The delegation was received by APHC Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Mushtaq Butt and members of the Hurriyat media team on Wednesday.
A consultative meeting, chaired by Safi, focused on the prevailing political and human rights situation in occupied Kashmir, restrictions on media freedom, and the role of the media in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan.
Addressing the gathering, Mushtaq Butt said that India and its state-backed and corporate media were projecting what he described as a “systematic false narrative” aimed at erasing Kashmir’s Muslim identity and altering the region’s demographic composition.
He expressed concern that the ongoing human rights violations, media blackout and political repression in occupied Kashmir were not receiving sustained and effective coverage in the regional and international media.
He said the APHC remained a representative and unified forum of the Kashmiri freedom movement, but its political, diplomatic and public activities were not being highlighted in proportion to their importance.
He urged the media in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir to become a stronger voice for the people of occupied Kashmir and to expose alleged rights violations at international forums.
Senior journalist Abid Abbasi suggested that the Hurriyat Conference should institutionalise regular dialogues and consultative programmes with the media.
Referring to developments after August 5, 2019, he said India had imposed stringent restrictions that had effectively paralysed independent journalism in the region.
He called on the government of Pakistan to formulate a comprehensive media policy on Kashmir and to organise the Kashmiri diaspora to play a more effective role for the cause.
President of the Kashmir Journalists Forum, Irfan Sadozai, thanked the Hurriyat leadership for convening the meeting and said the Kashmir issue required sustained, serious and coordinated engagement.
He stressed the need to involve the younger generation and suggested that political parties in Pakistan should make Kashmir a permanent part of their electoral manifestos.
He also proposed the production of quality films, dramas and documentaries to raise public awareness.
Other speakers, including senior journalists Mohammad Latif Dar, Maqsood Muntazir and Sardar Nisar Tabassum, highlighted the growing importance of social media and called for its organised use in multiple international languages to counter Indian narratives and project developments in occupied Kashmir more effectively.
In his concluding remarks, Safi said Pakistan was currently the only country consistently advocating the Kashmir cause at international forums, but added that its efforts needed to be further strengthened by engaging friendly states and addressing existing gaps.
He reiterated that the Kashmir dispute should not be reduced merely to a bilateral or humanitarian issue, but should be understood in the context of what he termed India’s “illegal and unconstitutional occupation” of Jammu and Kashmir.
He warned that failure to resolve the dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people could pose serious risks to regional peace.
Emphasising the importance of cooperation with the media, he said the Hurriyat Conference valued journalists’ input and would continue to strengthen coordination and consultation.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to develop a joint strategy to highlight the Kashmir issue in a responsible manner in line with international media standards, and to continue regular engagement between the Hurriyat Conference and the media.
