Srinagar: Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG) today elected its new body with a 2-year mandate.
Sajjad Haider has been elected as President of the media body; Masood Hussain as Secretary-General, Shafat Kira and Manzoor Anjum as Vice Presidents and Haji Mohammad Hayat as its new Treasurer, a statement issued by KEG spokesman said.
The spokesman said that the elections were held after a gap of more than two years as its former body had completed its term in office. The elections were held after due nominations were filed with all its members participating in the election exercise.
“The voting was held after the completion of nominations for which papers were submitted in advance. The members who participated in Tuesday polling include Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo (Greater Kashmir), Bashir Manzar (Kashmir Images), Bashir Ahmad Bashir (Srinagar Times), Sajjad Haider (Kashmir Observer), Haji Hayat (Kashmir Reader), Tahir Mohiuddin (Chattan), Manzoor Anjum (Uqab), Jeelani Qadri (Daily Afaaq), Haroon Rashid (Nida-ie-Mashriq), Shafat Kira (Kashmir Vision), Aakash Amin (Tameel-e-Irshad), Masood Hussain (Kashmir Life) Zahoor Malik (Kashmir Times) and Shameem Meraj (Kashmir Monitor),” said the spokesman.
KEG’s new President Sajjad Haider studied engineering in Chennai and subsequently studied journalism at Tehran University. During the 1990 Gulf War, he covered the conflict for various media outlets including the Tehran Times. He subsequently took up an assignment for National Iranian Radio and Television in New Delhi and moved back to Kashmir in 1994. He contributed to various international media organizations including BBC online, Deutsche Welle, IRNA and IRIB from Kashmir. In 1997 Sajjad Haider founded the daily Kashmir Observer and since then is continuing as its Editor, said the spokesman.
He further said that Masood Hussain, who was elected the Secretary-General is a journalist since 1987. After working for the Kashmir Times for over a decade, he moved to The Economic Times, which he left in 2015. He took over Kashmir Life as editor in 2018.
The newly elected Vice President, Shafat Kira, is a postgraduate in Mass Communication and Journalism who was associated with various media organizations like NDTV, Amar Ujala, Indian Express, Daily Excelsior and Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany-Radio). He later started ‘Daily Kashmir Vision’ in 2009 and since then has been heading the news organization, said the spokesman.
KEG, Vice President Manzoor Ajnum, one of the senior-most Journalists had decades of experience behind his back. He has been in the field of journalism since the early 70’s and his write-ups were quite a hit during the days he was associated with Daily ‘Hamdard’ published from Srinagar.
Manzoor Anjum, a poet and a story writer was a regular contributor to ‘Khatooni Mashriq’ and various other well-read magazines and journals. It was during 1976 that Manzoor Anjum started ‘Daily Uqab’ and has since then been its Editor. His regular columns like ‘Namak Paray’ have been an apt description of the daily happenings in Kashmir, the spokesman said.
KEG Treasurer, Haji Mohammad Hayat is a post-graduate in Sociology from Aligarh Muslim University, said the spokesman, adding, “Mohammad Hayat started a multilingual news agency (Press Bureau of India) in 2007. Later Mohammad Hayat started ‘Kashmir Conveyor’ a monthly magazine in 2009 and ‘Kashmir Reader’ a daily newspaper, was launched by the group in 2011”.
KEG, KPC condemn use of force against scribes
Srinagar: Kashmir Editors’ Guild (KEG) has condemned the use of force against the scribes who were covering the gun battle at Marwal Pampore. At least one of them, Kamran Yousuf, was injured in the attack by the cops. Kamran works for a Delhi based news portal.
Kamran told reporters that he had gone to cover the encounter and well before he could start work, paramilitary men asked him to go away. As he was moving away from the spot, the security detail of a DySP rank police officer pounced upon him without any reason and beat him ruthlessly. He somehow fled and reached the hospital with the help of his colleagues where the doctors treated him. He will have to stay bed-ridden for many days owing to his leg injury.
KEG is condemning the use of force against the media persons. The editors’ body asked the authorities to permit media in delivering their professional duties. KEG is demanding the police leadership in Kashmir to sensitise the field staff about the operations of the media and investigate the Marwal assault, a spokesman of KEG said in a statement issued here today.
Worth mentioning here the Marwal attack is not the first incident of its kind. In fact, it has emerged as a routine for the police and security forces to assault the journalists while covering the happenings on the ground.
“The Guild wants the LG Jammu and Kashmir to personally look into the assault,” said the spokesman.
Meanwhile, Kashmir Press Club too has condemned the thrashing of three journalists by Jammu and Kashmir Police in Pulwama on Tuesday.
“The management of the Club while demanding strong action against the policemen involved in today’s incident urges the top brass of the J&K police and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take note of such difficulties media persons face while delivering their duties on the ground,” said a statement issued by KPC.
