Indian Women’s Press Corps expresses concern over shutdown of communication links in Kashmir valley

The Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) has issued a statement expressing its deep concern at the shutdown of communication links in the Kashmir Valley, thereby not allowing the media to carry out their jobs to report freely and fairly on the situation. Here is the full text of the statement:

The media is a key element in the functioning of democracy, especially because it acts as a pressure valve in the expression of dissent. As the largest democracy in the world, the media’s role becomes even more important.

The IWPC believes that the media cannot do its job properly if it doesn’t have access to basic communication links. One week after the government’s decision to abrogate Art 370 which gave special status to J&K, Internet mostly remains suspended. In a digital age, that is as good as shutting down the media.

The IWPC expresses its solidarity with the press reporting in Kashmir and doing their job in the teeth of obstacles in their path.