Srinagar, July 19 (KNS): Peoples Conference Chief Spokesperson Advocate Bashir Ahmad Dar on Friday expressed serious concern over what he described as “deliberate and systematic efforts” to undermine press freedom in Jammu and Kashmir through indirect but targeted coercion, including the selective withholding of government advertisements to exert editorial pressure.

In a statement issued here, Adv. Bashir said PC holds an unflinching commitment to media independence, describing it as the bedrock of any functioning democracy.

“The press is not meant to serve as a mouthpiece for those in power but it exists to hold power accountable. Attempts to coerce it into compliance by manipulating resources amount to a direct assault on democratic values,” he said.

He accused successive governments in J&K of resorting to similar strategies to mute critical reportage and avoid scrutiny. “The voice of journalism in this region has long been subject to suppression. For decades, regimes have employed various methods to suppress facts and deflect attention from policy failures. But in today’s age of digital media and real-time accountability, such tactics are increasingly untenable,” Adv. Bashir remarked.

Calling for a shift in approach, he asserted that “Rather than weakening the fourth pillar of democracy through censorship, direct or indirect, institutions must work towards empowering it.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelAn informed society is not a threat; it is the foundation of a responsible state.”

Advocate Dar also criticised the silence of certain regional political parties, accusing them of choosing expediency over principle.

“It is deeply disappointing that many who claim to represent democratic values of opposition have failed to speak up for the media fraternity. Their silence, at a time when journalists, designers, printers and delivery personnel are reportedly going unpaid for months, is telling.”

He added that the role of the opposition should not be reduced to rhetoric or electoral calculation. “This moment demands moral clarity and institutional courage. Numbers alone do not make an opposition rather standing up for truth does,” he said.

Reaffirming his party’s solidarity with the media fraternity, Adv. Bashir concluded “Peoples Conference stands firmly in support of a free and independent press. Any effort to subvert journalistic freedom, whether through financial pressure or censorship, is both undemocratic and unsustainable. Press freedom is not a privilege to be granted; it is a right to be protected.”(KNS)