Announced by MLA Haveli Ajaz Jan, press club for the press fraternity is nowhere even after the completion of one year of Omar Abdullah’s government; MLA Haveli needs to act like Shahid Iqbal Choudhary (IAS)

Announced by MLA Haveli Ajaz Jan, press club for the press fraternity is nowhere even after the completion of one year of Omar Abdullah’s government; MLA Haveli needs to act like Shahid Iqbal Choudhary (IAS)

POONCH TODAY NEWS

POONCH: Press fraternity members in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri have played a big role in highlighting day-to-day issues  of public and national interest, but their selfless services have not been recognized yet in the Poonch district.

The press fraternity members of the Rajouri district remained lucky to some extent, as they got their press club building constructed during the tenure of the then DC Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary (IAS). The press fraternity of Rajouri raised the issue once only before the then DC, and within no time, Shahid Choudhary fulfilled his promise and blessed the press fraternity of Rajouri with a well-furnished press club building. As far as the press fraternity of Poonch is concerned, nobody from the administration or political class came forward to address the issue. However, after winning the assembly elections last year from the Poonch Haveli constituency, MLA Ajaz Jan organized a meeting of the press fraternity of Poonch and promised a state-of-the-art press club building for the press fraternity, but even after the passing of one year of Omar Abdullah’s government, the same press club building is nowhere. Former DC Poonch Vikas Kundal (IAS) also promised a press club building inside the Information Department premises, as he said that the same place was the most appropriate for the press club. Vikas Kundal (IAS) even promised to lay the foundation stone of the press club inside the Information Department premises, but he was transferred from Poonch, thereby leaving press fraternity members at the mercy of God. The press fraternity members of Poonch have played a big role during Operation Sindoor, but unfortunately, their services were not hailed by anybody, although some selected people from the press fraternity close to the high chairs were awarded at Rajouri by the army. The same episode raised doubts about the army officers, as most press members said that awards went to some agents of top chairs instead of those who performed their press duties exceptionally. Although there are a number of self-styled presidents and chairmen of the press fraternity in the entire Poonch district, the absence of a duly elected press body in the district has been playing a negative role for the press fraternity, as every officer preferred to adopt the time-pass tactics with the press fraternity because the officers believe that a majority of members are not professionally sound. Taking advantage of this loophole, some press fraternity members used to take undue benefits with their false projections by forming relations with the top chairs and ultimately fulfilled their personal interest from the police, civil administration, and the army, least bothered about the welfare of the entire press community. The press fraternity badly required a press club with full facilities, and the Information Department premises as selected by former DC Poonch Vikas Kundal (IAS) is the appropriate place, said a senior media man. There is significant uncertainty regarding MLA Haveli Ajaz Jan, who has not taken any action on the press club building he announced a year ago. The MLA Haveli needs to adopt the vision of an IAS officer, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, and should bless the fraternity of Poonch with the state-of-the-art press club inside the Information Department premises with all the facilities. If the former DC Rajouri, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, had the will to fulfill the genuine concern of the press fraternity of Rajouri within no time, then MLA Haveli Ajaz Jan needs to show the same spirit and bless the orphan (because of no elected body) press fraternity of Poonch with the press club building. It would be better if the MLA Haveli fulfilled this demand of the entire press fraternity and not those agents in the media fraternity who remained close to the top chairs of police, civil administration, and the army for their personal benefits by dodging every officer with false claims on behalf of the entire press fraternity. The press fraternity of Poonch has been waiting for a fully furnished press club building for a long time, but till now, nobody has given any attention to this genuine issue. Will MLA Haveli Ajaz Jan act sooner than later like former DC Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary (IAS) in this issue? Only time will tell.