What Else Can Someone Who’s Muslim, Woman, Journalist and Kashmiri Expect, Safina Nabi Asks

Newsreel Asia Insight #17
Oct. 18, 2023

The Maharashtra Institute of Technology-World Peace University (MIT-WPU) has rescinded its journalism award that had been slated to go to Safina Nabi, a Kashmiri reporter. She was told there was “a lot of political pressure.”

Nabi, a full-time independent journalist who has been at the forefront of tackling complex issues plaguing the South Asian region, was chosen by the Pune-based institute for the Journalism for Peace Award 2023 for her story, “The Half Widows of Kashmir,” published in Scroll.in and focused on the marginalised women of Kashmir who have lost their husbands but are still denied basic property rights.

The story was picked unanimously by a seven-member jury panel that comprised journalists and editors from various media houses, according to The Wire, which said Nabi was slated to receive the award at a ceremony on Oct. 17, for which she had already made travel arrangements.

However, on Oct. 16, a day before her scheduled departure, a mysterious call from an anonymous faculty member informed her that the award had been canceled due to “a lot of political pressure.” The member also cited safety concerns for Nabi, advising her not to travel for the ceremony.

Asked why she thinks the award has been cancelled, Nabi told Newsreel Asia, “I carry multiple identities – Muslim, woman, journalist, and, on top of that, Kashmiri. What else do they need to defame or give trauma to someone?”

The jury, who had vetted her entry and found it worthy of an award, were not informed about this sudden cancellation.

Three jury members, who were already in Pune for the event, chose to boycott it after learning about the institute’s move, The wire said, quoting M.K. Venu, a jury member, as saying, “Kashmiri journalists are subjected to a different level of censorship and harassment.” Venu is a cofounder of The Wire.

The MIT-WPU, which had not given any statement to media, as of the afternoon of Oct. 18, says on its website: “Uniquely positioned as one of the first universities across the world that offers the highest standard of professional education ingrained with the postulates of peace studies, MIT-WPU enables an inclusive culture of dignity, fairness, and respect amongst its students, grooming them into future-ready, responsible citizens of the world.”

In Kashmir, the State is increasingly cracking down on press freedom and dissent through raids, surveillance and anti-terror laws, an article in the Frontline magazine said in June, adding that it could be aimed at forcing journalists into self-censorship. Journalists are reluctant to share their victimization stories, fearing further reprisals, it commented.

In August 2019, the Central government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status or autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. Now, it appears that even narratives emerging from Kashmir are facing suppression.

The situation raises another crucial question about awards for reporters. Are journalistic accolades becoming political pawns that are dangled in front of journalists, only to be pulled away when they become inconvenient for the powers that be?