Role of the Local Press After the State’s Accession with the Indian Union in 1947: An Analytical Study

This article is an attempt to shed light on the neglected and less researched area of the press in Kashmir after 1947, examining its role on the eve of partition and afterward. This was a critical period for journalism for various reasons, including most notably the outbreak of the first India-Pakistan war (1948). In the wake of the ensuing political upheaval, numerous newspapers were abruptly banned. The article further explores the government’s policy toward the press during the tenures of the first three Prime Ministers: Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah (1948–1953), Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad (1953–1963) and Khawaja Ghulam Muhammad Sadiq (1964–1965).