Srinagar, Jan 2: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday expressed his desire to see a media environment in Jammu and Kashmir that is free and open to reporting the facts as they exist on the ground.

He also said that he wanted the Kashmir Press Club- which was shut by the J&K government in January 2022- to be restored soon.

His remarks came during his first press interaction since assuming office as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory.

“As far as I am concerned, my wish would be to see a free and open media… to see a media which is open to report facts on the ground as they exist,” Omar stated.

The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of unbiased reporting, free from interference or external pressures. “The media should report without any interference, without any pulls and pressures, without any telephonic calls… that is what I would like,” he added.

Omar pointed out that the day’s interaction with the media was a step in that direction. “Nobody sitting here, as far as I know, has been told what they can and can’t ask. Nobody has been given a slip of paper to ask a particular question,” he remarked.

The Chief Minister expressed his intention to hold similar interactions with the media regularly, aiming for candid discussions without predetermined agendas or restrictions.

“I want such interactions with the media, if not on such a scale, at least twice a year to have a freewheeling interaction without any agenda and without any subject or artificially imposed boundaries,” he said.

Reflecting on lessons from his previous term, Abdullah admitted that limited engagement with the media had been costly. “I am often asked if I learned any lesson from the last term. Yes, this is one of those lessons—not having enough contact with the media, and it was a price I paid in the previous government,” the CM shared.

Omar concluded by reaffirming his commitment to being more accessible and transparent in this term.

“Being more open and accessible to you (media) is something that I will definitely try to do in this term in office,” the Chief Minister pledged.

He also said that he want the Kashmir Press Club to be restored soon so that there are transparent elections there and they can talk to that body about the issues of journalists.

UNI