When will the bloodshed end in Kashmir? The situation is getting worse by the day. Many civilians are being killed every day – and as one may be aware, the death of civilians should be considered a great loss to any society.
The murder of Rising Kashmir editor-in-chief Shujaat Bukhari is being condemned in national and international circles. In fact, there’s rarely a post on Facebook that does not speak of his death.
Hours after the murder, the police released the photos of three suspects. The police had also said that the identity of anyone who offered help would be kept confidential. Furthermore, it was reported that the orders to kill Bukhari came from Pakistan. According to the same report, during a peace conference at Dubai, Bukhari’s views were allegedly at odds with those of the separatists and the United Jihad Council headed by the Hizbul Mujahideen leader Sayeed Salahudeen. This seems to have become a highly contentious issue.
On the other hand, Kashmir BJP leader Lal Singh stoked controversy and added fuel to the fire as he warned scribes to ‘draw a line’, by reminding them of Bukhari. In a media interaction, Singh said, “Kashmiri journalists have created wrong atmosphere about the whole case. I would like to ask journalists of Kashmir now to draw a line of journalism and think about how to live […] Are they waiting for a similar incident that happened with Basharat (Shujaat)… And draw a line so that the brotherhood continues and progress is made.” Later, he also tweeted, “There is need to draw a line between reporting facts and supporting terrorists and their sympathisers. Misinterpretation has become a norm and reporting facts a rarity. Journalistic freedom is absolute but not at the cost of nation and nationalism.”
In this entire saga, the nation probably forgot to mourn sufficiently for a man who was not only a talented editor, but also one of the precious few who strove for peace in the Kashmir Valley.
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