The three-member team of Press Council of India (PCI) led by S N Sinha held extensive deliberations here today with the media-persons from South Kashmir.The members of the visiting Sub-Committee include Mr C K Nayak, Dr Suman Gupta and Mr Naveen Joshi.Several media-persons from South Kashmir representing print, electronic and digital media organizations in Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian districts attended the meeting and briefed the visiting PCI team about their issues. The journalists delegation was led by S Tariq, President of the South Kashmir Journalists Association and Tasaduq Rashid, Vice-President of the South Kashmir Journalists Association.Deputy Director Information (PR) Kashmir, Mr Farooq Ahmad Baba, and District Information Officers of Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian were also present at the meeting.During the interaction, the media persons raised the issues, including setting up of Press Club in South Kashmir, ensuring job and financial security for working journalists, health insurance cover, housing policy and lifting of communication gag.
“The main purpose of our visit to Kashmir is to get first-hand information of the issues faced by journalists on ground in the Valley," Mr S N Sinha, Convener of the PCI Committee Fayaz Ahmad Lolu, Saahil Suhail, Saajad Ahmad Dar, Muneeb-ul-Islam, Waseem Mir, Zahoor Rizvi, Arif Wani, Sameer Mushtaq, Suhail Ahmad Shah, Shabir Ahmad, Rao Farman Ali, Shah Ishrat, Hilal Zargar, Imtiyaz Shah, Sameer Shah, Syed A R Hilal, Qasim Sajjad, Javaid Sagar, Shah Hilal, Rouf Wani,Tanveer Wani, Aadli Mir, Zakir Malik, Sameer Rehmani, Irfan Khan,Zahoor Gulzar, Tariq Ali Mir,Javed Dar, Zulfi Masood and others.The PCI team also met the officers from civil and police administration in Anantnag to apprise them about the issues raised by the media-persons.The PCI panel is currently on a weeklong visit to Kashmir to get first-hand information about the issues and challenges confronting the media-persons in J&K.The PCI team is scheduled to meet the Chief Minister, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tomorrow.The PCI team will be visiting Jammu and Ladakh separately before finalizing their report on media scenario in Jammu and Kashmir.