SOAS University of London has raised its strong concern over the arrest of Fahad Shah, a prominent journalist based in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and editor of the independent news platform, The Kashmir Walla.
Shah had pursued a master’s degree at SOAS in London and has written for various international platforms including TIME, The Guardian, Christian Science Monitor.
In a statement, SOAS described his arrest as an attack on press freedom. “We call for his immediate release as we understand he has been arrested under terrorism and sedition laws in what has been widely reported as an increasing attack on press freedom in Jammu and Kashmir, as reported in the Guardian and New York Times,” SOAS said.
Shah was arrested on 4 February after he pub-lished a news report on a police action in Kashmir’s Pulwama district.—KMS
