Bharatiya Janta Party has strongly condemned the legal notice served to Greater Kashmir by the state government. In a statement here the BJP spokesman Khalid Jehangir said: “By sending such notices state government wants to intimidate the media.”According to a statement issued to KNS Jehangir said that GK has played a vital role in highlighting the post flood situation and the plight of the people. “Newspapers act as a watchdog and are the mirror of the society. It seems Omar couldn’t withstand the fact that his entire machinery failed and he couldn’t do anything. Media highlighting his failure seems to have annoyed him,” he said. “The Chief Minister by issuing such notices wants to stop the flow of information so that lid is kept over the failure of his government. It was through media centre government got the first hand information about the ground situation. Had media not highlighted the plight of marooned people no assistance would have come from anywhere,” Jehangir added.
The BJP spokesman said that State Government has failed at every front and is trying to establish its writ by targetingGreater Kashmir which has played a crucial role in documenting the worst floods of the century in Kashmir. “When civil administration was in deep slumber, newspapers, NGOs, local volunteers, NDRF, Army and officers of Jammu and Kashmir Police reached out to people and provided them all possible help,” he added.“It’s unfortunate that state government has issued a notice to the reputed news organization of Jammu and Kashmir and has threatened to annul its declaration for reporting truth,” Jehangir said.The BJP spokesman demanded that government should quash the notice immediately and allow media to function independently. “Such tactics can serve as a last nail in the coffin of already battered coalition government,” he said. “Chief Minister Omar Abdullah needs to realize that newspapers are not a part of his official machinery which run on his directions.” (KNS)