AJK commemorates World Press Freedom Day with renewed pledge.

MIRPUR (AJK) -- Like rest of the world, the World Press Freedom Day 2020 was also commemorated across Azad Jammu Kashmir on Sunday with the renewal of the pledge to continue supporting the struggles for the safety and security of the basic human right of expression and the freedom of press the world over.

The day was particularly marked with unanimous demand to the world human rights bodies for the grant of complete freedom to the press the world over especially in the areas like Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir where the freedom of expression was being gagged by the occupational Indian forces at the gun point primarily to suppress the Kashmiris struggle for liberation of the motherland from forced and unlawful Indian rule.

This year the media in Pakistan and AJK is operating under a new and challenging environment created by the spread of COVID-19. Since the spread of the pandemic in the country, two journalists have reportedly died and at least 38 media workers have tested positive.

In AJK, various organizations of media workers and press clubs including the Jammu Kashmir Union of Journalists reportedly held brief meetings maintaining social distance in line with the set Standard Operating PSOPs in view of the current COVID-19 to avert threat of its spread in various AJK cities, primarily as hallmark of the world press freedom day.

Expressing grave concern over the increased incidents of victimization of journalists in Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir by the Indian occupational forces, these meetings vehemently condemned increased restrictions imposed to suppress the voice of media in Indian- occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Special ceremonies were held in various parts of Azad Jammu Kashmir under the auspices of various journalists organizations and press clubs to observe the day which provides an opportunity to the press to recount their outcomes over the previous years.

In Mirpur, special ceremony to mark the day was held under the auspices of Jammu Kashmir Union of Journalists with the Union's central President Hafiz Maqsood Mirza in the chair.

Speaking on this occasion, the JKUJ leaders including the chair - Hafiz Maqsood, Central Vice President Sohrab Ahmed Khan, Ali Akhtar Salim, founder leader of the organization Altaf Hamid Rao, Dr. Usman Ghani, digital media journalist Rao Jehanzeb Khan and others vehemently condemned the recent registration of cases against several of noted Kashmiri journalists in Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir including...

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