Moot to draw attention of western media on Kashmir

LONDON: Two leading campaigners from Indian occupied Kashmir have announced to hold ‘International Media Conference’ here to draw the attention of international media towards the lack of coverage that the people of Kashmir merit.

At a press conference here, Abdul Majid Tramboor and Professor Nazir Shawl said that International Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) and South Asian Centre for Peace & Human Rights (SACFPHR) will be bringing together leading media practitioners in Europe under the title: ‘Exposure of Conflict Areas of the World with Particular Reference to Kashmir’ in two days in West London.

Abdul Majod Tramboo told the conference that mass media often plays a key role in today’s conflicts but unfortunately very few of those conflicts have attracted serious concerns from international media and Kashmir is amongst those burning issues which have been ignored or sidelined in media, failing to generate the due and merited coverage and reportage.

“The pending case of United Nations self-determination issue of the people of Jammu and Kashmir needs media attention. This is now 70 years old issue which has now emerged as a major violent conflict among Pakistan, India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Barrister Tramboo, who hails from the Indian occupied valley, said that conditions in Jammu and Kashmir are explosive and fraught with great danger but the events unfolding get minimal coverage. “Over the years the Kashmir conflict has eclipsed the possibilities of peace and prosperity in the region. Undoubtedly the prevailing conditions pose a serious threat to regional and global peace noting that the region is a nuclear flash point,” he said.

Referring to the recent Amnesty International report on the use of pellet guns in Kashmir by Indian forces, Tramboo said that independent international organisations such as Amnesty believe that international community should act against India over the use of pellet guns against innocent youth. He said western media could have done much more to highlight these atrocities.

Professor Nazir Shawl said that the issue of Indian occupied Kashmir is not a religious issue. “The issue of Kashmir’s occupation affects Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and everyone else. It’s a humanitarian crisis and needs international intervention on humanitarian basis. We shall examine the essentials required to take account of the specific circumstances from the international media perspective on the Kashmir conflict in the media conference. It is crucial that editorial guidelines about how to cover the Kashmir conflict internationally are identified, developing partnerships with local media and the local media is encouraged to form collaborations providing unbiased and independent media coverage which is important not only for the world public but also for the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are directly affected.

“By supporting credible information on the Kashmir issue and searching a large audience, the media help will lead to lessening violence and perhaps, resolve the conflict pursuant to the will of the people of Jammu and Kashmir through an independent and impartial right of self-determination.”

Professor Shawl said that Kashmiris need attention of western media where they have not been given the coverage on merit.