Daily Times

The murder of Shujaat Bukhari, founder and editor-in-chief of the English-language daily, Kashmir Rising, is becoming politicised. Sadly.  Indian police this week apportioned blame to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Which is naturally bad news for Pakistan.

Bukhari was a well-respected voice for peace in the region. Yet he never shied away from highlighting the perils that Kashmiri journalists across the Line of Control (LoC) face on an almost daily basis. And while his death has dealt a blow to the journalist community in Srinagar as well as on this side of the border — given that he was a regular contributor to Pakistani print media — it risks precipitating the demarcation of new battle lines.

LeT has, from the get-go, denied involvement in Bukhari’s murder; preferring to point the finger of accusation towards the Indian security apparatus. Indeed, the latter has found itself under fire recently in the wake of the first-ever UN probe into human rights abuses in the disputed territory. New Delhi has rejected the report as biased and says it holds no weight. Pakistan, for its part, has pushed for vindication of what it says constitutes a long history of atrocities in -held Kashmir.

The immediate fallout from Bukhari’s murder is being felt by the Srinagar-based journalist community. After all, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and disgraced minister Choudhary Lal Singh has entered the fray by effectively warning Kashmiri journalists that they will suffer the same fate if they fail to “draw a line on the journalism you do and how you have to live”. Which, of course, is an ultimatum by any other name. It also suggests exoneration of those who pull the trigger on representatives of the fourth estate. This is something of a habit for Singh; who was forced out of government when he sided with the men accused of gang-raping and murdering an eight-year-old Muslim girl. The overriding message, as seen from Islamabad, being that those who kill Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir may do so with impunity.

Pakistan, nevertheless, must investigate the allegations against LeT. And it must do so swiftly give the current election scenario. That being said, it must urge India to refrain from delivering ‘big reveals’of this kind to the media. Meaning that the bilateral relationship should be such that developments of this nature should are shared at the government level before being made public. This would better serve the needs of intelligence sharing; while not giving identified suspects a timely heads-up.

Lastly, it is hoped that both sides cooperate on this and all efforts to bring peace to Kashmir. This, at least, would be a befitting tribute to Mr Bukhari.  *

Published in Daily Times, June 29^th 2018.