Neelum Press Club is the district Press club of Neelum, Pakistan-administered Jammu Kashmir Founded in 1996.
Following
the guidelines outlined in the Neelum Press Club constitution,
elections were conducted on December 25, 2023. However, the day
after, President Usman Tariq Chughtai's membership was suspended for
three months purportedly based on indications from Pakistani
agencies. It's worth noting that the Press Foundation lacks the
authority to suspend any press club member.
Several notable Pakistani journalists, including Saleem Safi and Matiullah Jan, alongside international journalists, protested against this suspension, questioning the role and decisions of the Chairman of the Press Foundation, who holds a position in the High Court.
Upon the expiration of the three-month suspension period, the Press Foundation directed the organization of new elections for the Neelum Press Club, despite no objections raised against the previous elections. Once again, President Usman Tariq Chughtai's membership was provisionally suspended during the ongoing elections.
Yesterday on 31st March 2024, under similar circumstances, elections were held for the Neelum Press Club, with officials instructed to prevent Usman Tariq from assuming the presidency under any circumstances.
The
entire episode, aimed at achieving specific objectives unlawfully,
led to the appointment of a district information officer as the
election commissioner, with strict orders to maintain impartiality.
In response, Usman Tariq and his supporters protested against
external interference and biased actions by the election
commissioner, submitting a protest note to the deputy commissioner
Neelum and other authorities. They also passed a vote of no
confidence on the election commission, sharing the incident on social
media in real-time.
Opposition to Usman Tariq primarily stems from his prioritization of directives from Pakistan agencies over the rights of Kashmiri people. His platform in the press club has been instrumental in exposing institutional misdeeds to the world.
The Neelum Press Club elections were conducted in accordance with the constitution on December 25, 2023, with full participation from all members. Despite institutional efforts, their intentions were thwarted.
In their refusal to accept defeat, institutions have allegedly manipulated veteran journalist Javaid Asadullah, offering him the presidency in exchange for his cooperation in implementing unconstitutional measures to seize control of the Press Club.
