Jammu and Kashmir: Editor of Urdu daily arrested in 28-yr-old case, family alleges harassment under TADA

Ghulam Jeelani Qadri, chief editor and owner of Srinagar-based Urdu daily Aafaq has been arrested in a 28-year-old case after Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) court issued summons on Monday.

As per reports, Qadri was arrested from his house after a midnight raid.

“He was not even allowed to even step inside the house or change his clothes. He would have presented himself before the police in case of any summons. The way the arrest was made shows that the aim was to harass him and his family without any rhyme or reason,” Qadri’s younger brother Morifat Qadri was quoted as saying by the media.

Qadri’s family blamed authorities for harassing them in a 28-year-old case.

According to a Srinagar based newspaper, Kashmir Media Watch, police told Qadri’s family that he was arrested in 1992 case registered against him and eight other journalists when he was running the now-defunct local news agency JAK (Jammu and Kashmir) News.

The case against Qadri and other journalists were registered for allegedly publishing a press-release issued by the militants.

Police claimed that Qadri was “absconding” and was wanted in the case.

However, the editor’s family said, “Qadri has been going to his office on a daily basis for years. How can he be shown as an absconder?”

Interestingly, two journalists, who had faced similar charges in the case, had won State awards for outstanding journalism and become legislators.

Three other journalists - Khawaja Sanaullah, Ghulam Ahmad Sofi and Shaban Vakil, who were named in the case, have passed away.