The Kashmir Walla, an independent news website based in Kashmir, has been blocked in India by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000, said the news portal.
“When we contacted our server provider on Saturday morning to ask why thekashmirwalla.com was inaccessible, they informed us that our website has been blocked in India by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000. We discovered that our Facebook page – with nearly half a million followers – had been removed. As had our Twitter account, ‘in response to a legal demand’,” a statement issued by The Kashmir Walla said.
The Kashmir Walla was launched by Kashmiri journalist Fahad Shah 12 years ago.
Shah, one of the prominent young journalists in the Valley, was arrested in February 2022 following a report regarding a judicial killing in Pulwama. Shah was later booked under provisions of the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). At present, Shah remains in jail under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA).
The Kashmir Walla further said that they were not aware of the specifics of why the website has been blocked in India; why its Facebook page has been removed; and why its Twitter account has been withheld.
“We have not been served any notice nor is there any official order regarding these actions that is in the public domain so far,” read the statement.
The statement further reads: “There isn’t a lot left for us to say anymore. Since 2011, The Kashmir Walla has strived to remain an independent, credible, and courageous voice of the region in the face of unimaginable pressure from the authorities while we watched our being ripped apart, bit by bit.”
“For the past 18 months, we’ve lived a horrifying nightmare – with the arrest and imprisonment of our founder-editor, Fahad Shah, and the harassment of our reporters and staff, amid an already inhospitable climate for journalism in the region,” the statement said.
“Reporters were interrogated and all documents were scrutinized. Since then, our interim editor has been summoned and questioned by the SIA multiple times,” it added.
Reacting to the Union government’s move, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said, “What a shame. One of the few portals that dared to speak truth to power stands silenced. Fahad Shah continues to be incarcerated for his truthful reportage highlighting ground realities in J&K. Only godi media parroting GOIs narrative and propaganda is allowed to function and flourish”.
