- News>
- Archives
Brave Heart: An interview with Aasha Khosa
She`s used to getting obscene phone calls at unearthly hours. Of being tailed in the dinghy by-lanes of Srinagar. Of being threatened with abduction and maiming. She`s also used to not giving up. She`s a tiny woman with the courage of a warrior. A crusader with a will that refuses to succumb. She`s Aasha Khosa a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and winner of the prestigious Prem Bhatia award for journalism. Rahul Kanwal catches up with this brave heart.
She`s used to getting obscene phone calls at unearthly hours. Of being tailed in the dinghy by-lanes of Srinagar. Of being threatened, almost daily, with abduction and maiming. She`s also used to not giving up. She`s a tiny woman with the courage of a warrior. A crusader with a will that refuses to succumb and puts many of her male colleagues to shame. She`s Aasha Khosa a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and winner of the prestigious Prem Bhatia award for journalism.
So high up was she on the militants hit-list that she had to do most of her reporting wrapped in a burkha. It finally took a bomb blast in her building and concern for the life of her five-month old daughter for her to agree to leave the valley. Today, far away from the action, she`s leading a sedate life covering the Home Ministry for her newspaper. Although her body is in New Delhi her soul is still very much in Kashmir. Rahul Kanwal catches up with this brave heart.
Q. What has been the relationship between the terrorist outfits and the media in Kashmir?
Ans. Well, there have been many ups and downs in this relationship. At times the media has been vociferously propagating militant ideology and at others vehemently opposing it. To understand this complicated relationship one must go back to the early days of unrest. Insurgency in Kashmir began as a mass movement. At that time editors and reporters genuinely believed that the movement will carry the day and liberation will be achieved. So initially everyone favored the militants. This `media honeymoon` as far as the terrorists were concerned carried on till 1992. After which some papers became more realistic and started asserting themselves. It was then that a clash of interest between the militants and the media began to take place.
Q. What is the modus operandi followed by the militants? How do they ensure that their point of view gets heard?
Ans. Initially, they did not have to make too much effort. Apart from some exceptions like the `Aftab` and `The Excelsior` almost all the major dailies like `Kashmir Times` and `Srinagar Times` were openly on the side of the militants. But later, when newspapers started acting independently, militants were forced to become proactive. Militant outfits like the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jamaat-e-Islami began to sponsor and float their own newspapers. The `Greater Kashmir` newspaper was sponsored by Shabir Shah whereas the `Mirror` was floated by the Jamaat. Another interesting development was that militant outfits, by hook or by crook, began infiltrating their men into newspaper offices. These people would occupy key positions in the newspaper and very often would be the ones who`d write the editorials. Q. Up till now you`ve spoken about the local media but what about the national media?
Ans. The national media, very obviously, could not take a pro-militant stance since it had to keep a broader perspective in mind. Terrorists did not like the supposed pro-India stance of these reporters and tried every trick in the book to intimidate them. The Times of India reporter Askari Zaidi and the PTI reporter A K Mishra would routinely get roughed up by the militants. George Joseph of the Indian Express was asked to leave Kashmir within 48 hours when he reported a split in the Hizbul Mujahideen. Matters between the journalist and the terrorists reached such a trough that the terrorists began killing reporters. Around 10 reporters were killed in a short span of time. This, I suppose, had the desired effect because the others got so scared that they decided to shift base to Jammu and stayed there for many years. Vested interests were also involved in this. Some of the local scribes were keen to see the national media reporters go so that they could get those plum jobs.
Q. Around the early nineties, when other reporters had fled, you and your husband chose to stay back and report. How was it, reporting in the midst of such violence?
Ans. Well, I can tell you, it wasn`t the most comfortable experience. My husband, George Joseph, at that time was working for the `Indian Express` and I for the `Tribune`. Our troubles began when George reported that there had been a split in the Hizbul Mujahideen. That this story was true was well known. But the Hizb was trying to keep it hush-hush. But once this got reported in the Indian Express all hell broke loose. The Hizb wanted George out of the Valley within 48 hours. But he refused to go. So they put him on their hit-list and banned the Express in Kashmir. Those were trying times for us. For one full year we worked under a ban. Q. But then the Hizb took back the ban. What made them do that?
Ans. The management of the Indian Express struck a deal with the Hizb and agreed to transfer George out of the valley. So much for an organisation standing up for its men. With George gone, they needed a new reporter, I decided to stand in for him.
Q. So you were all alone in the Valley?
Ans. All alone and under constant threat. I followed all kinds of evasionary tactics. I would take a different route to office every day and wear a burkha to hide my identity. Militants would make obscene phone calls and shadow me continuously. I now think their objective was not to kill me because they could have easily done so had they wanted to. They only wanted to intimidate me into leaving, which they failed to do. But after my daughter`s birth, things changed. Now I had to live not just for myself but also for her. Then, when militants exploded a bomb in my building, I decided enough was enough. My daughter was far too precious and too innocent to get involved in this fight. So I decided to leave.
Q. Was it an easy decision?
Ans. No. But it was something that had to be done. Even my husband wanted me to leave.
Q. But now most of those reporters who had left the valley have returned, would you say the situation has improved?
Ans. Well gradually it dawned upon the militants that the national media did not have much impact on their constituency, that is, the people of Kashmir. And by having scared them away their voice was now not being heard beyond the Valley. So they were not as animistic when the reporters began coming back.
Q. What is the role that TV channels are playing in Kashmir?
Ans. The militants don`t care about any channel other than the BBC. For them, if a particular attack gets covered by this channel, then their mission is accomplished otherwise it is a failure. As for the others, they don`t count for much. DD Kashmir has managed to create a lot of trouble for itself. Initially they were very pro-militancy in their reportage. But then, the government clamped down on DD. The militants did not like this. They had got used to favorable reportage. So they shot Lassa Kaul the Director of DD Kashmir at point blank range. DD was forced to shift its headquarters to Jammu. As far as the new private channels go they are seen as instruments of India and hence are considered to be anti-Kashmir, especially Zee News. Another thing is that cable TV was banned in the early nineties by the militants. So most people don`t receive satellite channels.
So high up was she on the militants hit-list that she had to do most of her reporting wrapped in a burkha. It finally took a bomb blast in her building and concern for the life of her five-month old daughter for her to agree to leave the valley. Today, far away from the action, she`s leading a sedate life covering the Home Ministry for her newspaper. Although her body is in New Delhi her soul is still very much in Kashmir. Rahul Kanwal catches up with this brave heart.
Q. What has been the relationship between the terrorist outfits and the media in Kashmir?
Ans. Well, there have been many ups and downs in this relationship. At times the media has been vociferously propagating militant ideology and at others vehemently opposing it. To understand this complicated relationship one must go back to the early days of unrest. Insurgency in Kashmir began as a mass movement. At that time editors and reporters genuinely believed that the movement will carry the day and liberation will be achieved. So initially everyone favored the militants. This `media honeymoon` as far as the terrorists were concerned carried on till 1992. After which some papers became more realistic and started asserting themselves. It was then that a clash of interest between the militants and the media began to take place.
Q. What is the modus operandi followed by the militants? How do they ensure that their point of view gets heard?
Ans. Initially, they did not have to make too much effort. Apart from some exceptions like the `Aftab` and `The Excelsior` almost all the major dailies like `Kashmir Times` and `Srinagar Times` were openly on the side of the militants. But later, when newspapers started acting independently, militants were forced to become proactive. Militant outfits like the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jamaat-e-Islami began to sponsor and float their own newspapers. The `Greater Kashmir` newspaper was sponsored by Shabir Shah whereas the `Mirror` was floated by the Jamaat. Another interesting development was that militant outfits, by hook or by crook, began infiltrating their men into newspaper offices. These people would occupy key positions in the newspaper and very often would be the ones who`d write the editorials. Q. Up till now you`ve spoken about the local media but what about the national media?
Ans. The national media, very obviously, could not take a pro-militant stance since it had to keep a broader perspective in mind. Terrorists did not like the supposed pro-India stance of these reporters and tried every trick in the book to intimidate them. The Times of India reporter Askari Zaidi and the PTI reporter A K Mishra would routinely get roughed up by the militants. George Joseph of the Indian Express was asked to leave Kashmir within 48 hours when he reported a split in the Hizbul Mujahideen. Matters between the journalist and the terrorists reached such a trough that the terrorists began killing reporters. Around 10 reporters were killed in a short span of time. This, I suppose, had the desired effect because the others got so scared that they decided to shift base to Jammu and stayed there for many years. Vested interests were also involved in this. Some of the local scribes were keen to see the national media reporters go so that they could get those plum jobs.
Q. Around the early nineties, when other reporters had fled, you and your husband chose to stay back and report. How was it, reporting in the midst of such violence?
Ans. Well, I can tell you, it wasn`t the most comfortable experience. My husband, George Joseph, at that time was working for the `Indian Express` and I for the `Tribune`. Our troubles began when George reported that there had been a split in the Hizbul Mujahideen. That this story was true was well known. But the Hizb was trying to keep it hush-hush. But once this got reported in the Indian Express all hell broke loose. The Hizb wanted George out of the Valley within 48 hours. But he refused to go. So they put him on their hit-list and banned the Express in Kashmir. Those were trying times for us. For one full year we worked under a ban. Q. But then the Hizb took back the ban. What made them do that?
Ans. The management of the Indian Express struck a deal with the Hizb and agreed to transfer George out of the valley. So much for an organisation standing up for its men. With George gone, they needed a new reporter, I decided to stand in for him.
Q. So you were all alone in the Valley?
Ans. All alone and under constant threat. I followed all kinds of evasionary tactics. I would take a different route to office every day and wear a burkha to hide my identity. Militants would make obscene phone calls and shadow me continuously. I now think their objective was not to kill me because they could have easily done so had they wanted to. They only wanted to intimidate me into leaving, which they failed to do. But after my daughter`s birth, things changed. Now I had to live not just for myself but also for her. Then, when militants exploded a bomb in my building, I decided enough was enough. My daughter was far too precious and too innocent to get involved in this fight. So I decided to leave.
Q. Was it an easy decision?
Ans. No. But it was something that had to be done. Even my husband wanted me to leave.
Q. But now most of those reporters who had left the valley have returned, would you say the situation has improved?
Ans. Well gradually it dawned upon the militants that the national media did not have much impact on their constituency, that is, the people of Kashmir. And by having scared them away their voice was now not being heard beyond the Valley. So they were not as animistic when the reporters began coming back.
Q. What is the role that TV channels are playing in Kashmir?
Ans. The militants don`t care about any channel other than the BBC. For them, if a particular attack gets covered by this channel, then their mission is accomplished otherwise it is a failure. As for the others, they don`t count for much. DD Kashmir has managed to create a lot of trouble for itself. Initially they were very pro-militancy in their reportage. But then, the government clamped down on DD. The militants did not like this. They had got used to favorable reportage. So they shot Lassa Kaul the Director of DD Kashmir at point blank range. DD was forced to shift its headquarters to Jammu. As far as the new private channels go they are seen as instruments of India and hence are considered to be anti-Kashmir, especially Zee News. Another thing is that cable TV was banned in the early nineties by the militants. So most people don`t receive satellite channels.