Journalists Warn Against Police Action On Mannan's Letter

Journalist fraternity has expressed anguish over the action by the Indian police against media outlets for publishing an open letter of Kashmiri PhD scholar, Abdul Mannan Wani.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jul, 2018 ) :Journalist fraternity has expressed anguish over the action by the Indian police against media outlets for publishing an open letter of Kashmiri PhD scholar, Abdul Mannan Wani.

The journalist fraternity in a statement issued in Srinagar described the police action as a direct attack on the freedom of expression. The journalists threatened to hit the streets against such media restrictions, KMS reported.

Indian police on Tuesday announced to take cognizance of the publication of the letter by media organizations. A police spokesperson had said that legal proceedings under relevant provisions were initiated by the police. He confirmed that an FIR was registered against a news portal and investigation was underway.

Mannan Wani, the 26-year-old research student of Applied Geology at Aligarh Muslim University, came out for the first time to write about illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir by India and how New Delhi was manufacturing narratives to justify its military occupation of Kashmir.

The PhD scholar-turned-mujahid in a letter mailed to media outlets on Monday, had said, "Our mission is to liberate our land from foreign illegal occupation and thus to create an environment of peace and justice wherein every thought and ideology would be discussed and debated and people would be given their right to chose whatever they like."