In a joint statement issued today, a group of 29 journalists, comprising Editors and the working journalists from the both parts of divided Jammu and Kashmir met in Islamabad (Pakistan) on August 20 and 21, 2015. They discussed a range of mutual issues related to their profession and their role in the conflict. The Journalists also talked about the possibilities of building linkages across the Line of Control (LoC) to help build a peaceful atmosphere.
The thrust of the deliberations was on how to improve the contact across the line of divide and try to reach out to the readers with the accurate information. For this the discussion was held on various mechanisms to translate this into reality.
The journalists from Jammu and Kashmir and Azad Jammu and Kashmir came up with a several recommendations they agreed upon during the workshop and urged both India and Pakistan to fecilitate implementing them and remove barriers on movement of journalists on both the sides.
The journalists also formed a joint four-member group which would be responsible for content sharing between the different media organizations and also a joint working group of the journalists from the two sides that would further build up the linkages.
The conference, a first of its kind, organized by Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR) and Center for Peace Development and Reforms (CPDR) in association with Kashmir Initiative Group, gave following recommendations:
1. Content sharing (News, feature and photo aggregate). Publish apolitical stories from one another’s region.
2. Creating joint social media groups including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp.
3. Holding frequent interactions on a timely basis (e.g. six-monthly). The conferences should be held in the region.
4. Create an interim body in the future and name the body (eg Intra Kashmir Journalists Group).Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThe body will have Azad Kashmir and Jammu Kashmir chapters and a rotational president will be elected every two years. Joint training programs of working journalists.
5. Start a process of registering professional journalists on both sides of the LoC.
6. Document history of journalism on both sides of Kashmir. Create a digital library related to J&K.
7. Try to ensure hard copies of newspapers are circulated through cross-LoC routes and see that all the libraries have these newspapers.
8. Make a documentary about the life across both sides of Kashmir that would end on the two sides of the LoC.
9. Involve media departments on both the sides of LoC. Deliver Skype lectures to journalism students.
10. Publish a six-monthly newsletter, online and print.
11. Give away awards for the best cross-LoC reporting.
12. Directory of Kashmiri journalists working all over the world.
Content Sharing Group
1. Rashid Maqbool (Srinagar)
2. Hakeem Irfan (Srinagar)
3. Khalid Gardezi (Muzaffarabad)
4. Samar Abbas (Muzaffarabad)
Working Committee
1. Dr Shujaat Bukhari

2. Ershad Mahmud

3. Abid Khurshid (ATV)

4. Abid Sidiq (Daily Dharti)

5. Shehzaad Rathore (Daily Jammu Kashmir)

6. Altaf Hamid Rao (The Nation)

7. Athar Masood Wani (Kasheer Weekly)

8. Amina Amir (Bol TV)

9. Asif Raza Mir (Daily Express)

10. Iftikhar Gillani (DNA)

11. Mehmood Rashid (Greater Kashmir)

12. Tariq Ali Mir (Belag Sahafat)

13. Peerzada Ashiq (Hindustan Times)

14. Farooq Javed Khan (EPA)

15. Shahana Butt (Press TV)

16. Mohammad Aslam Bhat (KNS Srinagar)