New Delhi: Dineshwar Sharma, Government of India’s interlocutor has requested Home Minister Rajnath Singh to meet the representatives of certain news channels and ask them to stop the ‘vicious propaganda’ against Kashmiris, reported the Hindu.
The report pointed that at least four news channels ran exaggerated stories regarding Kashmir which ‘defeats the purpose of dialogue and peace process in the valley.’
“The meeting with the channel representatives would be convened shortly,” the report quoted a source as saying.
The report said that another official, however, said the Centre would tread cautiously on the subject as it did not want to impinge on the “freedom of the press”.
“Sometimes these channels are just making a mountain out of a molehill. Many times, the debates are vitriolic and are distant from facts on the ground. This gives fodder to secessionist forces in the Kashmir Valley to sow hatred against the government,” a senior Home Ministry official was quoted as saying by the report.
Several delegations who had called on Sharma during his Kashmir visits had complained that a few news channels were propagating a negative image of Kashmiris.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has on several occasions has expressed that the issue should be addressed. She had come down heavily on news anchors for portraying Kashmir and Kashmiris in a negative light.
