There is a sinister design that is getting unfolded. A concerted effort is being made to arm twist the freedom of press by resorting to subversive tactics by the forces from outside the Jammu and Kashmir by acting as the proxies of those who have faced downfall in the aftermath of the neutralization of Article 370 and 35A in the Union Territory(UT).It is indeed paradoxical that this nefarious design is being unleashed by those who claim to represent the freedom of press and democracy both in the valley and outside. It is an open secret that the mainstreaming of Jammu and Kashmir has caused panic and desperation in the subversive camps whether in the media or other areas of public discourse when it comes to the war of narratives. A deliberate assault is being made on The Rising Kashmir for upholding the national interest in Kashmir amid all odds and challenges. The editorial policy of The Rising Kashmir is based on defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Indian nation in its news coverage, reports and editorials. This has not gone well with the forces both inside Kashmir and outside for showcasing the overall development and progressive achievements in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the political reorganization. These forces want to keep the pot of violence boiling in the valley by encouraging the regressive reporting when the situation on the ground shows Kashmir limping back to normalcy after decades of ethno-religious conflict and internal displacement engineered by the patronization of the radicalization of the youth by Pakistan and driving them towards terrorism. Inclination of the youth towards entrepreneurship and innovation is causing trouble to these forces who are present in local media and their ring masters located outside Kashmir. The level of intimidation can be gauged from the campaign of vilification being orchestrated by the media companies like the Newslaundry that operates from New Delhi.Under the ruse of distribution of advertisements being allotted by the government it asks as to why The Rising Kashmir allots the prime space on the front page? It has problem with The coverage and reporting of the Rising Kashmir as the newspaper is giving much space to the news related to the Lieutenant Governor(LG) Manoj Sinha of Jammu and Kashmir and accuses the paper of disproportionately covering him.And the hidden agenda of the New Delhi based digital media outlet is exposed when it asks “On August 5, 2023, marking the fourth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, he said that Kashmir’s streets are finally safe as the era of violence ends. On November 1, 2023, he said that the ecosystem of separatism had been successfully dismantled in J&K.”This is absurd, anyone who upholds the nation will be elated to know that Kashmir is getting peaceful and violence is ending.Not only that,if the ecosystem of terrorism has been dismantled successfully then it is a national achievement and needs to be given wide coverage as peace has been elusive in Jammu and Kashmir. Newslaundrycan be asked a counter question on that “Don’t they feel elated on seeing the return of normalcy in Kashmir?It seems that by asking these questions their hidden agenda is being hit so they don’t want a Kashmir valley based daily newspaper to report the emergence of a peaceful era. They do not stop here, they even question why the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is dominating the pages of The Rising Kashmir. This is indeed ridiculous.Prime Minister represents the entire nation and after the neutralisation of Article 370 and 35 A he has kept his constant focus in monitoring peace and normalcy in Kashmir.Moreover,he is the Prime Minister of the nation and as such his policies and developmental projects must acquire the prime space on front pages and other pages in the newspaper. The media outlet is un-nerved because the Prime Minister is getting the prime space in The Rising Kashmir. Expressing its shock and desperation in a communication addressed to The Rising Kashmir it says, “After LG, it was PM Modi who dominated the newspaper, appearing on at least seven front pages praising his government for ending terrorism in Kashmir. On days when there was no episode of PM’s Mann ki Baat to cover, the newspaper reported how security was being heightened ahead of his visit to J&K on September 19, 2024. On May 1, 2024, his election rally in Maharashtra for the assembly elections, in which he praised his government for smashing terrorism in Kashmir, also made it to the front pages.” This is indeed strange. Instead of appreciating the developments that define the return of peace and political stability in Jammu and Kashmir and their coverage the digital media outlet is expressing dismay and unhappiness. One wonders why they are upset on seeing semblance of peace in Kashmir and want TheRising Kashmir to paint Kashmir otherwise. Do they represent India’s national interest or are holding the brief for someone else? They are concerned about the dwindling of the advertisement space for the newspapers that have been kept under the scanner by the government for holding the brief for the subversives in Jammu and Kashmir. Instead of appreciating the upholding the national interest in Jammu and Kashmir byTheRising Kashmir they are resorting to intimidation. It is unacceptable to us keeping in view the freedom of press in a democracy. It seems that a section of the national media is hand in glove with a few vested interests in the local media of the valley that has lost credibility to gain attention by resorting to these intimidating tactics. In this vilification campaign there is a ganging up of other media house from Chennai. In its fortnightly publication it downplays the subversion being the cause for the dwindling of advertisements for the newspapers for which the likes of the Newslaundry are holding the brief. The Rising Kashmir is not intimidated and cannot be brow beaten by such tactics as upholding the national interest, territorial integrity and sovereignty of India is its declared editorial policy.
