Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Indian authorities raided the offices of the local news outlet Kashmir Times in Jammu, Indian-occupied Kashmir, on Thursday, seizing documents and digital equipment in an operation the newspaper describes as an attempt to silence critical journalism.&nbsp;The 70-year-old newspaper said the raid is the latest in a series of actions targeting media outlets operating in the heavily militarized region, where press freedoms have come under increasing scrutiny.&nbsp;Officials from the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police told local news outlets they discovered ammunition during the raid, including AK-47 cartridges, pistol rounds, and hand grenade pins.&nbsp;These claims were reported by the Press Trust of India, citing unnamed police officials.&nbsp;While the SIA has not issued an official statement, it has indicated that platforms cannot be allowed to disseminate content deemed &ldquo;seditious&rdquo; or &ldquo;anti-national.&rdquo;&nbsp;Executive Editor Anuradha Bhasin disputed the official account, stating the office has been largely dormant for years and stores only historical records. Kashmir Times rejected both the justification for the raid and the alleged discoveries.&nbsp;International press freedom advocates expressed alarm.&nbsp;Kunal Majumder, Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists&rsquo; Asia-Pacific programs, told the press, &ldquo;Authorities must clearly explain the legal basis for this action and ensure that any investigation is conducted with transparency and full respect for due process.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;News outlets should not face punitive action simply for doing their journalistic work.&rdquo;&nbsp;The CPJ called on Indian authorities to return the seized materials and refrain from filing criminal charges against journalists based on reporting.&nbsp;In a statement, Kashmir Times described the raid as part of a coordinated campaign against the publication. Officials provided no advance notice or formal documentation of their actions.&nbsp;The newspaper&rsquo;s physical offices have been closed for four years, with operations moving entirely online after the print edition ceased in 2021-2022, citing sustained government pressure and financial difficulties.&nbsp;The outlet rejected the authorities&rsquo; allegations as fabricated, emphasizing that reporting on government actions fulfills a democratic function rather than constituting hostility toward the state. &ldquo;A robust, questioning press is essential to a healthy democracy,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;Founded in 1954, Kashmir Times said its investigative work and coverage of underrepresented communities serve the public interest.&nbsp;Despite mounting pressure, the publication pledged to maintain editorial independence. &ldquo;The accusations leveled against us are designed to intimidate, to delegitimize, and ultimately to silence. We will not be silenced,&rdquo; the statement concluded.

India

The 70-year-old Kashmir Times says the raid continues a pattern of targeting media in heavily militarized Kashmir, where press freedoms face growing restrictions and scrutiny.

Indian authorities raid Kashmir Times offices amid press freedom concerns

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: In the aftermath of the recent blast in New Delhi, human rights activists and civil society members warn that Kashmiris across India are encountering heightened scrutiny, police brutality, and social hostility, despite the absence of a completed investigation into the attack.&nbsp;The blanket suspicion, they argue, represents a deepening cycle of profiling that long predates the explosion but has intensified sharply since. John Dayal, a senior human rights advocate and long-time commentator on India&rsquo;s minority rights landscape, said while speaking to Pakistan TV, that the repercussions have been immediate and unsettling.&nbsp; He said the implications for the people in Kashmir were worrisome. &ldquo;Two things worry me. One is the moment such things happen. There is a spurt in Islamophobia in the country, which is already rampant,&rdquo; Dayal noted. &ldquo;Young people, doctors, their families in the Valley&mdash;they get investigated, they get picked up by the police, some houses have been demolished. This has caused great worry, and it has been condemned by many like me in civil society.&rdquo; According to Dayal, the response to the blast has extended beyond the capital, affecting Kashmiri students and workers in multiple states.&nbsp; Rights groups report evictions, police questioning, and growing reluctance among landlords and employers to engage with Kashmiri applicants. Activists say the measures amount to collective punishment, applied without clarity on whether any Kashmiri individual had a definitive link to the Delhi attack. Zafar Qureshi, another prominent human rights advocate focused on Kashmir, described the pattern as familiar and politically charged. He argues that Kashmiris are routinely thrust into the centre of national security narratives, especially around election periods.&nbsp; &ldquo;Every time there&rsquo;s an election, some sort of incident happens somewhere,&rdquo; he said, alleging that incomplete information and premature speculation often shape public perception before facts emerge. He emphasised that the ongoing investigation into the blast has yet to offer conclusive findings.&nbsp; &ldquo;What we do hear from the media is that some Kashmiris were suspected. But who were the others? Nobody has mentioned them.&rdquo; Qureshi warned that this environment has given rise to new labels&mdash;such as &ldquo;white-collar terrorists&rdquo;&mdash;that stigmatise educated Kashmiri youth. &ldquo;India&rsquo;s mainland was the only space where they could go for education after passports were impounded and the media gagged. Now that space, too, is being taken away,&rdquo; he said. He added that while some Indians have questioned the narrative, hostility is increasingly diffused through communities themselves. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s seeping into the fabric of society,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Regular people are believing this narrative and acting on it.&rdquo;

The Newsroom

Civil society voices warn of rising hostility and profiling, saying unproven allegations are fueling fear and endangering Kashmiri students and professionals.


'Collective punishment': Kashmiris branded, harassed and hunted across India in Delhi blast’s aftermath  

ISLAMABAD: On the anniversary of the massacre of Kashmiris by Indian forces, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement on Thursday, said the events of November 6, 1947, remain a painful memory for Kashmiris decades later.&nbsp; PM Sharif said Kashmiris worldwide commemorate the date each year in condemnation of the &quot;first massive genocide&quot; of Kashmiris by Indian armed forces. &quot;In the history of Jammu and Kashmir, November 6, 1947, is marked as the darkest day and is etched in the minds of Kashmiri people as a fresh wound even after decades,&quot; Sharif said. &quot;Each year, Kashmiris across the world commemorate it in condemnation as the &#39;first massive genocide&#39; of the Kashmiris by brutal Indian armed forces.&quot; The prime minister said Indian forces and extremists killed 237,000 Kashmiris in November 1947 in an attempt to change the demographic and religious makeup of the region&#39;s population. He said efforts to alter the Muslim majority in Kashmir continue today, citing actions taken on August 5, 2019, as an extension of the same pattern. &quot;In November 1947, Indian forces and extremists brutally tortured and massacred thousands (237,000) of Kashmiris in a genocidal attempt to change the demographic and religious majority of the Kashmiri population,&quot; he said. &quot;Such an illegal and unilateral attempt by Indian forces to artificially alter the demographic majority of Muslims in Kashmir continues to date.&quot; The PM paid tribute to Kashmiris who died in the struggle for freedom.&nbsp; &quot;Pakistan pays homage to the thousands of Kashmiri martyrs, especially of November 1947, who sacrificed their lives in this long struggle for freedom,&quot; Sharif said. &quot;In utter denial of United Nations Security Council resolutions and in violation of international law, India has held illegal usurpation and illegitimate occupation of Kashmir.&quot; He said Pakistan and others who support human rights condemn India in the strongest terms, adding that &quot;India is guilty of protracted violation of fundamental human rights, right to self-determination and international law.&quot; The prime minister described the day as representing the courage and determination of people in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to secure their right to freedom. He said generations of Kashmiris have resisted Indian forces. &quot;This day incarnates the exceptional courage and unwavering determination of the people of IIOJK to secure their inalienable right to freedom,&quot; he said. &quot;This day also testifies that generations of Kashmiris valiantly challenged Indian forces and never succumbed to Indian brutalities and atrocities.&quot; PM Sharif said Pakistan&#39;s government and people pay tribute to the sacrifices of Kashmiris and extend support to the people in the disputed region. &quot;Today, the government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan pay heartfelt tribute to the valued sacrifices of Kashmiri brothers and sisters,&quot; he said. &quot;Pakistan extends unequivocal support to the oppressed people of IIOJK.&quot; He said Pakistan will continue to raise the Kashmir issue on the global diplomatic stage and provide political, diplomatic, and moral support to Kashmiris. &quot;Pakistan also reiterates its commitment at the global diplomatic front that Pakistan will continue to ardently raise the issue of Kashmir and will continue to extend its political, diplomatic, and moral support to the people of Kashmir,&quot; he said. The prime minister called on the international community to voice concerns about the continued human rights violations by India in the region. He said Pakistan maintains that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved according to UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of Kashmiris. &quot;The international community must emphatically voice its concerns about the continued violation of human rights and international law by India in IIOJK,&quot; he said. &quot;At every international diplomatic forum, Pakistan has this principled position that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved in line with UNSC resolutions and as per the just aspirations of Kashmiris.&quot;

Foreign Affairs

The anniversary marks the massacre of Kashmiris by Indian forces on November 6, 1947.

Pakistan PM condemns India on 1947 Jammu massacre anniversary

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s top leadership on Monday reaffirmed unwavering political, diplomatic, and moral support for the people of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as the nation observed October 27 as Kashmir Black Day t<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">o mark the day Indian forces entered Srinagar in 1947.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister &nbsp;Shehbaz Sharif, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar issued messages, emphasizing the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">President Zardari said Oct. 27, 1947, &ldquo;marked one of the darkest chapters in modern history&rdquo; when Indian troops entered Srinagar &ldquo;in blatant violation of international law.&rdquo; He said generations of Kashmiris there have &ldquo;endured unimaginable suffering under occupation, marked by violence, repression and denial of their fundamental rights.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He noted that &ldquo;after Aug. 5, 2019, this brutal campaign has only intensified,&rdquo; referring to India&rsquo;s revocation of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir&rsquo;s special status. &ldquo;Systematic attempts are being made by Indian authorities to turn the Kashmiris into a minority in their own homeland,&rdquo; he said, calling on the United Nations and global human rights organizations to &ldquo;hold India accountable&rdquo; for human rights violations.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Oct. 27 &ldquo;marks the darkest day in the history of Kashmir,&rdquo; adding that for nearly eight decades the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir &ldquo;have endured enormous hardship and oppression.&rdquo; He lauded their &ldquo;indomitable spirit, courage, and resilience in the face of fear and persecution.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The prime minister said Pakistan&rsquo;s position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute &ldquo;remains clear, consistent and principled,&rdquo; and that &ldquo;lasting peace and stability in South Asia will remain elusive without the just and peaceful resolution&rdquo; of the issue. He assured Kashmiris that &ldquo;the 240 million people of Pakistan stand resolutely beside them&rdquo; until &ldquo;the promise of self-determination, pledged by the international community, is finally fulfilled.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the day serves as a reminder of the &ldquo;dark events of Oct. 27, 1947, when Indian troops landed in Srinagar to enforce India&rsquo;s illegal occupation.&rdquo; He said India has tightened its &ldquo;grip on the occupied territory through sheer force and repression&rdquo; in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dar said the human tragedy in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir &ldquo;has worsened&rdquo; since India&rsquo;s actions of Aug. 5, 2019, citing &ldquo;demographic changes&rdquo; and &ldquo;imprisonment of legitimate Kashmiri leadership&rdquo; as violations of international law. &ldquo;It is in the shared interest of all regional states and the international community that the dispute be peacefully and urgently resolved,&rdquo; he added.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He reaffirmed that Pakistan &ldquo;will continue to raise its voice at every international forum until the realization of Kashmiris&rsquo; legitimate right to self-determination.&rdquo;

Members of the Forest Department wave Kashmiri and Pakistani flags during a rally in Muzaffarabad on May 12, 2025, after a Pakistan-India ceasefire. (AFP/Sajjad Qayyum)

Security

Pakistan’s top leadership reaffirms unwavering political, diplomatic, and moral support for the people of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as the nation observes October 27 as Kashmir Black Day to mark the day Indian forces entered Srinagar in 1947.

Pakistan marks Kashmir Black Day, urges UN action on Indian illegal occupation 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed called on the international community to uphold the right to self-determination for the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir and Palestine, during his address at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.&nbsp;Addressing the Special Political and Decolonization Committee during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed drew global attention to the ongoing plights of peoples living under foreign occupation, particularly in Indian-occupied Kashmir and Palestine.&nbsp;He described the denial of self-determination to the Kashmiri people as one of the UN&rsquo;s oldest unresolved issues and urged the global body to implement its own resolutions. &ldquo;The final status of Jammu and Kashmir must be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN supervision,&rdquo; Ahmed stressed.&nbsp;Condemning India&rsquo;s decades-long actions in the region, the Pakistani envoy accused New Delhi of pursuing a &ldquo;settler-colonial agenda&rdquo; aimed at altering Kashmir&rsquo;s demography. He cited the deployment of 900,000 Indian troops in the region and widespread human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and collective punishment.&nbsp;Ahmed also denounced India&rsquo;s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir&rsquo;s special constitutional status on August 5, 2019, calling it illegal and in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions.&nbsp;He warned that peace in South Asia remains impossible without resolving the Kashmir dispute and praised the resilience of Kashmiris in their struggle for freedom. &ldquo;Peace cannot be built on injustice and denial of rights,&rdquo; he asserted.&nbsp;Turning to the crisis in Gaza, the ambassador condemned Israel&rsquo;s airstrikes, stating that women and children were being deliberately targeted. &ldquo;These are not collateral damages, these are blatant violations of international humanitarian law,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Ahmed described Gaza&rsquo;s humanitarian catastrophe as a consequence of long-standing occupation, adding that &ldquo;occupation must end, as it remains the root cause of regional instability.&rdquo;&nbsp;He reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s unwavering support for a viable and independent State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.&nbsp;Ahmed warned against the continued presence of colonialism in the modern era. &ldquo;The struggles of Kashmir and Palestine are powerful reminders that freedom denied is freedom diminished,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The international community cannot allow colonialism in any form to persist in the 21st century.&rdquo;

Pakistan’s UN envoy called for upholding Kashmir and Palestine’s right to self-determination, condemning Indian repression and Israeli occupation, while urging international support for peace and decolonization efforts.

Articles tagged with "Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)"

Indian authorities raid Kashmir Times offices amid press freedom concerns

'Collective punishment': Kashmiris branded, harassed and hunted across India in Delhi blast’s aftermath

Pakistan PM condemns India on 1947 Jammu massacre anniversary

Pakistan marks Kashmir Black Day, urges UN action on Indian illegal occupation

Pakistan urges UN action on Kashmir, Palestine occupations