anonymous blog vilifying me and Iftikhar Gilani : Kashmiri journalist Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
In the blog, editor Shujaat Bukhari, who was gunned down in Srinagar on June 14, was accused of ‘betraying the Kashmir struggle’.
Kashmiri journalist Ahmed Ali Fayyaz on Sunday said unidentified people who had run a vilification campaign against Rising Kashmir’s assassinated editor Shujaat Bukhari, were now targeting him and journalist Iftikhar Gilani.
A blog post titled “Touts who are betraying the Kashmir struggle” appeared online 11 days before Bukhari was gunned down in Srinagar on June 14, the Hindustan Times reported last week. The blog’s authors have also targeted other journalists, businessmen, politicians and activists engaged in Track-2 diplomacy, berating them for betraying the “struggle of Kashmir” and for carrying out the “dirty work of defaming [the] Kashmir cause”.
“They have posted our photographs on the same portal with a vitriolic heap of text which vilifies and denigrates us both as ‘dubious characters’, men of ‘hypocritical approach’ et al,” Fayyaz wrote in a Facebook post.
Fayyaz wrote that the allegations against him were unfounded. “I have never ever taken upon myself the task of strengthening or weakening any narrative or ideology or attempted to impose my personal ideology on my esteemed readers who are from vast, diverse opinions and backgrounds,” he said. “So it is completely malicious and preposterous to allege that I have anybody’s brief in discharging my duty.”
The journalist denied that he had ever taken part in a Track-2 diplomatic initiative. “I have never ever claimed to be the ‘saviour of Kashmiri cause’ or someone ‘finding a solution to the Kashmir problem’, he wrote. “I believe this is not a proscribed activity for a journalist but I have been holding the opinion that this job should be left to other organs of the civil society.”
He also refuted the allegation that he had not spoken up against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Choudhary Lal Singh’s threat to journalists, and that he influenced American and Indian policies in the region. “Throughout my career I have steered clear of such state and non-state affiliations and diplomatic operations,” the journalist wrote. “My activity has been purely professional and academic while attending only those conferences and workshops which are not directly or indirectly sponsored by any side of the Kashmir conflict.”
Fayyaz said he had written against both state and non-state actors and exposed “the atrocities they committed against helpless, voiceless people”.
“I neither need a certificate from any masked keyboard actor nor will I ever take dictation under any naked or insidious threat from any individual or country under any circumstances,” he wrote. “Those trying it, for whatever purpose, will be simply wasting their own time and energy.”
courtesy : scroll.in
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
