Yusuf Jameel
Encyclopedia
Yusuf Jameel, is journalist of South Asia. Formerly a correspondent for the BBC, he is currently the Special Correspondent with Indian global newspaper The Asian Age http://www.asianage.com/ and its sister publication Deccan Chronicle based in restive Kashmir besides regularly contributing to the New York Times, Time magazine and the Voice of America.
Journalists in Kashmir have endured undeclared censorship, imprisonment, attempts on their lives, or the assassination of a close colleague as a result of their efforts to report on the news, the government and the militants candidly. Some reporters landed in prison or their graves for writing the truth. Yusuf Jameel is one of the victims of this bigotry. Srinagar-based newspapers have frequently been forced to suspend publication under pressure from the various warring parties. And numerous local journalists have survived abductions, including Yusuf Jameel.
, Kashmir
, on March 3, 1958,in a middle class Muslim Kashmiri family whose ancestry is rooted in Turkey. Both his father Gulam Rasool Shah and grandfather taught in government schools. He had his early schooling at Srinagar's Islamia High School and Sri Pratap Higher Secondary School and held a Bachelors Degree from Amar Singh College.
Towards the end of 1993, he shifted to The Asian Age, also founded and edited by M.J.Akbar. The newspaper is now owned by Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited which also publishes Deccan Chronicle, the largest circulated English daily in south India and the third largest English newspaper in India in terms of readership and circulation, Financial Chronicle and AndraBhumi. In 1984, Jameel began working simultaneously for the BBC, Reuters and Time magazine. In recent times, his work has also appeared in The National, Abu Dhabi http://www.thenational.ae/ and on Aljazeera.net http://aljazeera.net/portal
On June 2, 1990, Indian Army’s 11 Gurkha Rifles seized him, took him blindfolded to Uri close to the border with Pakistan and held him incommunicado for interrogation about his and a colleague's alleged contacts with militants. The ordeal lasted for nearly 30 hours before the officer, Lt. Col. Bhanwar Singh, who had ordered his arrest, was convinced of his innocence. Unlike most cases involving attacks on Kashmiri journalists, Jameel's ‘abduction’ by the troops resulted in disciplinary action for three of the officers involved including Lt. Col. Singh. On two separate occasions in 1992, unidentified assailants threw grenades at Jameel's home and office in Srinagar. Luckily, there were no casualties in either strike. Subsequent investigation revealed the pro-independence JKLF and pro-Pakistan Jamiat-ul-Mujahedin were behind these attacks aimed at twisting his arm. He refused to budge. In addition to the violent reprisals, he has periodically faced threats from militant separatists who were displeased with his coverage of the war.
Some of the outfits even chose to issue ‘death warrants’ on him. One case in point is that of the Jamiat itself. Unhappy at one of his reports on the BBC, the outfit asked him to appear before its qayadat or leadership within 48 hours, failing which he was threatened with execution. On another occasion, Jihad Force, yet another pro-Pakistan militant outfit accused him of being involved in so-called political process initiated by the then Indian junior minister on Kashmir affairs, Mr. Rajesh Pilot, and asked him to leave the state within two days. He did not and after the initial hullabaloo the perpetrators had to eat humble pie.
In summer 1994, security officers severely beat him on the head while he was attempting to cover a protest march by a Kashmiri women's organization, Dukhtaran-e-Millat. He was hospitalized for four days following the assault. Many well-wishers -concerned for his safety- insisted he should part with the profession or leave Kashmir, at least till the dust was settled. But his reply to all would be "I believe that such risks are part of my profession.”
Then came a letter bomb addressed to him that killed a colleague, Mushtaq Ali in September 1995. After the attack, Jameel relocated to London, where he was treated for the injuries sustained in the parcel bomb explosion and on recovering completely continued working for the BBC for several months before rejoining The Asian Age.
After spending a couple of years in London and Delhi, he returned to Kashmir in September 1996 to report on the first state-assembly elections since the militancy began in 1989. But getting the story was not the only purpose of Jameel's trip. He returned to attend a memorial service for Mushtaq Ali, who was a cameraman with Asian News International and Agence France-Presse. Mushtaq was fatally injured on September 7, 1995 when he opened a letter bomb addressed to Jameel, who sustained only minor injuries. Also wounded in the incident was Habibullah Naqash, a photographer with The Asian Age.
Jameel has had to withstand pressure from all parties to the Kashmiri conflict, which pits Indian security forces and government-backed militias against an array of guerrilla groups fighting for the state's independence or its merger with Pakistan. The combatants view the local press as biased in favor of their adversaries and retaliate through violence and intimidation. To date, twelve Kashmiri journalists have been murdered in the course of their work; in five of those cases-including Mushtaq Ali's-the perpetrators' identities remain unknown.
In 1996 he was one of five journalists to receive an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists
.
In 2006, he won the first Best Journalist/Writer award instituted by the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).
In February 2011, received Ahad Zargar Memorial award for his outstanding contribution as a journalist. The award given annually in recognition of excellent work done in the fields of literature, journalism, public and social services has been instituted by the Ahad Zargar Research Foundation after well-known Kashmiri Sufi poet Abdul Ahad Zargar. http://www.scoopnews.in/det.aspx?10954
Background
For journalists in Indian Kashmir every day has been a struggle ever since the separatist campaign in the disputed Himalayan State burst into a major violence in 1989. Though the situation for them has improved after the key characters of the conflict realized the role of the media and came out of their ideals and illusions, the anamnesis of the past events is painful.Journalists in Kashmir have endured undeclared censorship, imprisonment, attempts on their lives, or the assassination of a close colleague as a result of their efforts to report on the news, the government and the militants candidly. Some reporters landed in prison or their graves for writing the truth. Yusuf Jameel is one of the victims of this bigotry. Srinagar-based newspapers have frequently been forced to suspend publication under pressure from the various warring parties. And numerous local journalists have survived abductions, including Yusuf Jameel.
Early life
Jameel was born in SrinagarSrinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
, Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, on March 3, 1958,in a middle class Muslim Kashmiri family whose ancestry is rooted in Turkey. Both his father Gulam Rasool Shah and grandfather taught in government schools. He had his early schooling at Srinagar's Islamia High School and Sri Pratap Higher Secondary School and held a Bachelors Degree from Amar Singh College.
Career
After graduating in Political Science from the University of Kashmir, Jameel started working as a freelance journalist for a couple of years. His work appeared mainly in Khaleej Times, Munsif (Hyderabad-India) and Blitz (Bombay) Soon he joined Srinagar Urdu newspaper Aftab and, in 1983, The Telegraph, an English newspaper founded by well-known Indian editor and author M.J.Akbar. During his days with Calcutta-based Ananda Bazaar Patrika Ltd, the publishers of The Telegraph, he also contributed regularly to sister publications Sunday (English) and Ravivar (Hindi).Towards the end of 1993, he shifted to The Asian Age, also founded and edited by M.J.Akbar. The newspaper is now owned by Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited which also publishes Deccan Chronicle, the largest circulated English daily in south India and the third largest English newspaper in India in terms of readership and circulation, Financial Chronicle and AndraBhumi. In 1984, Jameel began working simultaneously for the BBC, Reuters and Time magazine. In recent times, his work has also appeared in The National, Abu Dhabi http://www.thenational.ae/ and on Aljazeera.net http://aljazeera.net/portal
Acknowledgement
His fearless and objective reporting on Kashmir won him acclaim in the journalistic and political circles in India and beyond although it also won him enemies. As a reporter for the BBC and Reuters -news organizations widely respected as nonpartisan in Kashmir- Jameel was a conspicuous target.Tough Times
Like many other reporters on Kashmir, his career has been marked by violent reprisals-beatings, grenade attacks.On June 2, 1990, Indian Army’s 11 Gurkha Rifles seized him, took him blindfolded to Uri close to the border with Pakistan and held him incommunicado for interrogation about his and a colleague's alleged contacts with militants. The ordeal lasted for nearly 30 hours before the officer, Lt. Col. Bhanwar Singh, who had ordered his arrest, was convinced of his innocence. Unlike most cases involving attacks on Kashmiri journalists, Jameel's ‘abduction’ by the troops resulted in disciplinary action for three of the officers involved including Lt. Col. Singh. On two separate occasions in 1992, unidentified assailants threw grenades at Jameel's home and office in Srinagar. Luckily, there were no casualties in either strike. Subsequent investigation revealed the pro-independence JKLF and pro-Pakistan Jamiat-ul-Mujahedin were behind these attacks aimed at twisting his arm. He refused to budge. In addition to the violent reprisals, he has periodically faced threats from militant separatists who were displeased with his coverage of the war.
Some of the outfits even chose to issue ‘death warrants’ on him. One case in point is that of the Jamiat itself. Unhappy at one of his reports on the BBC, the outfit asked him to appear before its qayadat or leadership within 48 hours, failing which he was threatened with execution. On another occasion, Jihad Force, yet another pro-Pakistan militant outfit accused him of being involved in so-called political process initiated by the then Indian junior minister on Kashmir affairs, Mr. Rajesh Pilot, and asked him to leave the state within two days. He did not and after the initial hullabaloo the perpetrators had to eat humble pie.
In summer 1994, security officers severely beat him on the head while he was attempting to cover a protest march by a Kashmiri women's organization, Dukhtaran-e-Millat. He was hospitalized for four days following the assault. Many well-wishers -concerned for his safety- insisted he should part with the profession or leave Kashmir, at least till the dust was settled. But his reply to all would be "I believe that such risks are part of my profession.”
Then came a letter bomb addressed to him that killed a colleague, Mushtaq Ali in September 1995. After the attack, Jameel relocated to London, where he was treated for the injuries sustained in the parcel bomb explosion and on recovering completely continued working for the BBC for several months before rejoining The Asian Age.
After spending a couple of years in London and Delhi, he returned to Kashmir in September 1996 to report on the first state-assembly elections since the militancy began in 1989. But getting the story was not the only purpose of Jameel's trip. He returned to attend a memorial service for Mushtaq Ali, who was a cameraman with Asian News International and Agence France-Presse. Mushtaq was fatally injured on September 7, 1995 when he opened a letter bomb addressed to Jameel, who sustained only minor injuries. Also wounded in the incident was Habibullah Naqash, a photographer with The Asian Age.
Jameel has had to withstand pressure from all parties to the Kashmiri conflict, which pits Indian security forces and government-backed militias against an array of guerrilla groups fighting for the state's independence or its merger with Pakistan. The combatants view the local press as biased in favor of their adversaries and retaliate through violence and intimidation. To date, twelve Kashmiri journalists have been murdered in the course of their work; in five of those cases-including Mushtaq Ali's-the perpetrators' identities remain unknown.
Personal life
In 1994, he married Nusrat Amin, daughter of Kashmiri lawyer and political activist Muhammad Amin Butt. They have three daughters Umme Kulthum, Saalihah Zainab and Fatima Zahra.Awards
In 1989, he won India's Mulk Raj Saraf Award for Best Reporter of the Year.In 1996 he was one of five journalists to receive an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
.
In 2006, he won the first Best Journalist/Writer award instituted by the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).
In February 2011, received Ahad Zargar Memorial award for his outstanding contribution as a journalist. The award given annually in recognition of excellent work done in the fields of literature, journalism, public and social services has been instituted by the Ahad Zargar Research Foundation after well-known Kashmiri Sufi poet Abdul Ahad Zargar. http://www.scoopnews.in/det.aspx?10954