No Pakistan news in Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 29: Kashmir is burning, other than this news people of Kashmir have no clue about what is happening elsewhere in the world. Internet, doordarshan channels, Pak Geo and local newspapers are missing from the stands for the sixth day on Saturday, Aug 29. Local cable operators have switched off all news channels too.

Meanwhile, an official spokesman has denied the reports that the government has imposed any ban on distribution or circulation of newspapers or any news national or International news channel. People in the Kashmir valley, having the facility, are using internet to go through the newspaper of Kashmir, Jammu, national and international.

This is the only means through which one can get news about what was happening in the world, Irshad Ahmad an engineer said from Hyderpora.

All the the local television channels had stopped airing programmes since August 24 after the District Magistrate, Srinagar, asked them to stop airing news and current affairs programmes, because of the prevailing situation in the Valley.

The channels had telecast live the programmes related to Muzafarabad, UN Military Observers Office here, Pampore and Eidgah chalo, calls for which were given by the Coordination Committee (CC) spearheading the present agitation in the Valley.

However, in retaliation the cable operators switched off almost all national news channels.

Surprisingly telecast of Pak Geo news channel was normal.

However, the Geo was not telecasting anything about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and Orisa.

When a newsreader this morning referred to attack on Christains in Orissa, the news was stopped for a break and when it resumed the news, the newsreader start reading about the US presidential elections.

For the sixth day not a single of more than 40 English and Urdu daily newspapers was published in Srinagar due to curfew.

The newspapers published from Jammu, Chandigarh and New Delhi also could not reach the readers because of the lack of means to circulate these following the curfew.

The management of a leading English daily Greater Kashmir, available on Internet only, said they could not publish the newspaper, as staff could not make it to office due to curfew restrictions.

Another English daily Kashmir Monitor was also available on the Internet.

Radio Kashmir, Srinagar, had stopped its 'Aag Ki Surkhiyan' programme based on headlines of local newspaper.

However, Doordarshan telecast similar programme based on the internet editions of the Srinagar and Jammu-based English newspapers.

UNI