Srinagar, Nov 5: PDP leader Waheed Ur Rehman Para on Wednesday sharply criticised the Jammu and Kashmir administration over what he called the “selective revival” of social media monitoring and media gag policies, questioning the Chief Minister’s stand on the issue.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Para said the recent orders to monitor and restrict social media activity in J&K contradicted the spirit of the election that, according to him, was fought to “end silence, fear, and suffocation.”
“The election in Jammu & Kashmir was fought to end silence, fear, and suffocation. People didn’t vote for control, they voted for dignity and the right to speak without fear,” Para wrote. “Yet today, fresh orders to monitor and restrict social media are being issued selectively only in Jammu & Kashmir, nowhere else in India.”
He further asked, “What is the Chief Minister’s stand on this? What does the CM, who also holds the Information portfolio, have to say?”
The PDP leader accused the government of using “vigilance and monitoring” as a pretext to intimidate journalists and suppress free expression. “This exposes a disturbing intent to control narratives, muzzle truth, and drag J&K further into a surveillance regime,” he said.
Calling for transparency, openness, and accountability, Para stressed that Jammu and Kashmir “deserves openness, not oppression; transparency, not targeting.” He added that the purpose of the election was to restore trust and dignity, not to replace one silence with another. [KNT]
