Srinagar: In an emergency meeting of Jammu Kashmir Press Association (KPA) held today under the chairmanship of its president, Ghulam Hassan Kaloo, the executive members deliberated upon the “Table News” published in English daily, “Hindu”, by its local Correspondent which is quite ‘misleading, concocted and a figment of imagination’.
In a statement issued to GNS, the KPA said: “The said Correspondent has tried to mislead the Election Commission of India and the J&K State Officials by reporting that the Jammu and Kashmir Information Department is releasing payments to the newspapers, both local and national dailies, on account of advertisement against the directions enunciated in the Model Code of Conduct laid down by the Election Commission of India.”
“The fact of the matter being that such payments pertain to the advertisements of the last year which could not be cleared by the Information Department due to paucity of funds .Hence it is a committed expenditure and does not violate the said Code of Conduct as pointed out and published in the said newspaper,” the KPA said.
The executive members expressed satisfaction and hailed the efforts of the Principal Secretary to CM/Commissioner Secretary Information Department, B.B. Vyas and Tasaduq Jeelani, Director Information Department for striving hard to arrange funds for the disbursement of liabilities among the Printers/Publishers of newspapers under circulation in India in general and the State of J&K in particular. (GNS)