Kashmir Press Club recognition, land allotment cancelled; J&K govt takes charge

Internal differences between factions of the Kashmir Press Club prompted the Jammu and Kashmir administration to cancel land allotment to the Valley’s biggest journalists’ organisation.

Recently, the J&K administration had suspended the club’s registration basis a CID report which gave adverse remarks on the present club management.

The J&K government has also taken charge of the Club, citing a potential law-and-order situation. The land allotted to the Club at Polo View in Srinagar has been taken back and returned to the Estates Department.

What led to such a drastic step?

On Saturday (January 15), a group of journalists, with M. Saleem Pandit as president, Zufliqar Majid as general secretary and Arshad Rasool as treasurer, accompanied by policemen reached the club and declared that they were representing the “new management”. They claimed that press club elections were overdue and the incumbent body’s term had already expired on July 14, 2021.

The J&K administration, justifying the takeover, said the Club had failed to register itself under the Societies Registration Act. The administration also stated that the club members had indulged in several illegalities.

As things stand today, the Kashmir Press Club has ceased to exist as a registered body and the club’s management has no authority to continue in office.

It appears that the Kashmir Press Club not just failed to bring in a new elected team, but also did not care to re-register itself under the Societies Registration Act.

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The J&K administration stated: “In view of the unpleasant developments and dissensions between various groups of journalists, it has been decided that the allotment of the premises at Polo View in view of the now deregistered Kashmir Press Club be cancelled and control of land and buildings situated at Polo View Srinagar which belongs to the Estates Department be reverted back to the said Department.”

It further observed: “We hope that a duly registered bona fide society of all journalists shall be constituted as soon as possible and the same shall be able to approach the government for reallocation of the premises.”

“Suspending Kashmir Press Club’s registration and taking over its premises is the latest move by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to prevent journalists from doing their jobs,” said Steven Butler, Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. “Jammu and Kashmir authorities should immediately allow the Kashmir Press Club to resume operations and stop its repeated harassment of journalists in the territory,” he said.