Kashmir Press Club: Journalists ‘self-appoint’ an interim body

Srinagar, Jan 15 (UNI) A group of journalists led by senior journalist Saleem Pandit on Saturday took over the “interim management” of Kashmir Press Club.

Several journalist groups, including the existing KPC body, denounced the ‘forcible takeover’ of the club and termed it as ‘illegal’.
National Conference Vice-President and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah termed it a “state-sponsored coup”.
After taking over the club this afternoon, the “interim body” of KPC issued a statement saying the KPC was “defunct” for the last six months as the tenure of the previously elected body ended six months ago.
“The elected body served its tenure for a period of two years, which ended on July 14, 2021. As the previous committee delayed the elections for unknown reasons the Club was headless, thereafter for around six months, putting media fraternity to unwanted trouble,” the statement said.
“Now therefore various journalist organizations across Kashmir valley unanimously decided to form an interim body of three members with M Saleem Pandit as president, Zulfikar Majid, bureau chief of Deccan Herald as General Secretary and Arshid Rasool Editor Daily Gadyal as Treasurer of the Club till elections are held in free and fair manner,” it added.
The group said besides running the day-to-day affairs of the Club, it will also be authorized to form a required executive body which will help the KPC to flourish and grow into a modern press club much in need with the growing requirements, it added.
“The new body has pledged to ensure the welfare of journalists as its top priority,” the statement read.
The taking over KPC comes a day after administration kept in abeyance the registration of the Club as a society.
At least nine journalist bodies including the incumbent KPC expressed anguish over the “illegal and arbitrary takeover” of the Kashmir Press Club and alleged it was done with “open support from the local administration”.
“This move, in which a group of journalists self-appointed itself as an “interim body”, is uncivil, illegal, unconstitutional and without any precedence. It has been taken at a time when the process of registration is still pending before the authorities,” a joint statement by the journalist bodies said.
“All journalist bodies are unanimous in the view that this unfortunate move by a disgruntled lot has set a dangerous precedent by forcing their way into the club office in violation of the KPC constitution and bylaws. The Press bodies have decided to take legal recourse against the perpetrators,” it added.
The groups appealed to the press bodies across the country including Press Council of India, Press Club of India, Federation of Press Clubs and Editors Guild of India to take a strong note of how the ‘local administration is supporting lawlessness and throttling a democratic media body’.