The newspaper ban may last at least until Wednesday, a government official told editors, according to the reports.
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Minister for Education and the State Government Spokesman, Naeem Akhtar, Advisor to Chief Minister, Prof Amitabh Mattoo, Director Information, Zubair Ahmad and Media Consultant to J&K Govt, Syed Suhail Bukhari were present in the meeting.
The denial came two days after editors and newspapers owners of Srinagar-based dailies were told by a government spokesman and minister on Saturday evening that they should stop publication in view of the strict curfew in the valley. “It indicates that the government has not changed its press emergency”, the statement said.
The chief minister had called an all parties meeting on July 21 to be held at SKICC for helping and restoring normalcy in the Valley.
“The Chief Minister regretted the fact that trouble had been caused to the media fraternity and ensured that no such thing will happen now”, said an editor who had attended a meeting with the government today.
Responding angrily to these assertions, media houses – which had been directed by the State Government to not publish for three days – took a call to not publish for another day and to review the situation on Wednesday.
As a result of the crackdown, Srinagar-based newspapers couldn’t hit the stands since Saturday when copies of those already printed were seized at midnight and early morning raids by police on their printing presses.
Cellular phone networks, however, continue to remain suspended with curfew like restrictions imposed in ten districts of the Valley where situation remains tense on thirteenth day of Hizb commander, Burhan Wani’s killing.
Meanwhile, the curfew imposed in the valley in wake of the protest continued for the elevent consecutive day.
“Sometimes decisions taken at a local level are not something the highest authority approves of”.
A Kashmiri protester throws a stone at Indian policemen during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, July 18, 2016.
They also demanded a statement from the government “guaranteeing that the media operations” including, “the movement of staff, news gathering, printing and the distribution of the newspapers” would no longer be “hampered”.
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More than 40 people have been killed and almost 2,000 people and 1,600 security forces have been injured in clashes since 9 July.
