ISLAMABAD (APP): Mushaal Hussein Mullick, wife of jailed Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik and chairperson of the Peace and Culture Organisation, said that Kashmiri journalists are “paying the real price of press freedom” in Indian held Kashmir, urging the international community on World Press Freedom Day to take urgent notice of systematic curbs on media and freedom of expression in the region.
In her message, Mullick said Kashmiri journalists had continued to keep the “flame of truth alive” despite facing arrests, torture, and intimidation by Indian authorities.
She paid tribute to media workers who, she said, had been subjected to imprisonment and abuse for performing their professional duties.
She paid tribute to journalists who had endured detention and violence at the hands of occupying forces, calling their resilience a testament to their commitment to truth and justice.
She also praised international journalists for amplifying the voices of Kashmiris, describing them as “true ambassadors of humanity” for highlighting human rights concerns on global platforms.
Criticising restrictions in the region, she said India could not suppress facts through internet shutdowns and press curbs, adding that such measures had failed to silence the truth emerging from the valley.
She called on the international community to press for the release of detained journalists, including Asif Sultan, and others who remain behind bars.
Highlighting the role of writers and reporters, Mullick said the struggle of Hurriyat leaders had reached the world through the sacrifices of courageous journalists, while those documenting the stories of Kashmiri women as mothers, sisters, and daughters deserved recognition and tribute. She further urged the United Nations to take notice of “draconian laws” imposed on the media in occupied Kashmir.
“ If speaking the truth is a crime, then every courageous journalist in the valley will continue to commit it,” she asserted.