Lok Sabha MP Baramulla Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, said he will take up the matter with the Union Minister of Information & Broadcast and fellow MPs cutting across party lines. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Jailed Member of Parliament (MP) Engineer Rashid, who heads the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), on Tuesday (January 27, 2026), expressed deep concern over the alleged harassment and summoning of Kashmiri journalists working with national dailies in Kashmir.
In a handwritten letter to the President of the Editors Guild of India, Mr. Rashid said, “Undoubtedly, journalists have to be careful about reporting and need to keep in mind the security concerns. However, in J&K, especially in the Kashmir Valley, in the name of security concerns and national interest, the fourth pillar of democracy is being undermined and humiliated.”
AIP spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said the MP highlighted in the letter that “like common Kashmiris, journalists’ legitimate political voices are being silenced”.
Mr. Rashid, in the letter, pointed out that journalists in Kashmir “have been finding it very difficult to work since the past 35 years”. “As many lost their lives, many were jailed, and a few were forced to leave the profession. Various State and non-State actors wanted them to carry narratives of their choice, but most of these journalists resisted,” the MP said.
The MP said he will take up the matter with the Union Minister of Information & Broadcast and fellow MPs cutting across party lines. “I will raise the issue in the Parliament at an appropriate time to seek an end to this harassment,” he added.
Mr. Nabi said the MP’s letter clearly reflected MP Rashid’s firm commitment to press freedom and democratic values.
Published – January 27, 2026 11:36 pm IST
