Jammu Tawi, January 11 (KIP):-Though the central interlocutor, Dineshawar
Sharma, has not been able to achieve any major breakthrough in his
process of connecting with people who are on the other fence had
simply achieved no major breakthrough in connecting with all sections
of people including the separatists he has started blaming various TV
channels for exaggerating simple news.
In this connection Sharma has requested Union Home Minister
Rajnath Singh to convene a meeting with authorities of certain
television news channels to ask them to be careful against spreading
“vicious propaganda” against Kashmiris. Sharma has identified at
least four news channels routinely aired stories exaggerating events
in the Kashmir Valley, defeating the dialogue and peace process
initiated by the Centre. The meeting with the channel representatives
would be convened shortly, the source said.
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 said.
In fact Sharma's efforts seem to be complicated by the verbal
duels between the ruling party leaders and those belonging to the
opposition. These duels make Sharma's task complicated and the last is
from Omar Abdullah who has described Sharma as the super chief
Minister in Jammu and Kashmir.(KIP)
