New Delhi: After receiving the Pulitzer prize in May, Cathal McNaughton was not allowed to return to India. The Home ministry has now confirmed that he is being ‘punished’ for traveling to Kashmir without permission.
Along with his colleagues, McNaughton received the Pulitzer for a photo feature about Rohingya refugees. Thereafter, McNaughton, the chief photographer for Reuters in India, stopped posting any pictures from India on his Instagram. Instead, the account became filled with meditative clips from his native Ireland, shots from his assignments at the Asian Games in Jakarta, and from the United States.
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While McNaughton was prevented from entering India at the airport much earlier, his punishment was confirmed only through an end-of-year Instagram post. “2018 has been interesting. From winning the Pulitzer to being denied entry back into India,” he wrote. He did not reply to a message for comment on his official email address.
McNaughton’s ban from Indian soil came less than a month after the ministry of external affairs sent a letter to all foreign news organisations based in Delhi that they would have to apply in writing for permission to travel in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to his Instagram timeline, he had last visited Srinagar in April.
MEA sources had noted that it was a reiteration of long-standing policy and therefore, the issuance of the letter was a routine measure to remind foreign journalists of guidelines.
However, in practice, foreign journalists have gone about working in Kashmir without a hindrance. They were not stopped, even if they didn’t have a written permit for reporting, at Srinagar domestic airport where the arrival of each foreign national is recorded at a separate desk.
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But this was not obviously akin to a routine reiteration of policy, but instead demonstrated a serious intent to tighten restrictions on foreign journalists when it comes to reporting from the ground in Jammu and Kashmir.
After the letter, at least one foreign journalist had applied to travel to Kashmir, but did not get permission.
According to PTI, an official of the ministry of home affairs confirmed on Friday that McNaughton’s reporting assignment to Kashmir was the reason for his visa cancellation.
“He may be a winner of some awards, but that does not give him the licence to violate Indian laws. The Ministry of External Affairs regularly informs foreign journalists about Indian rules and regulations. And in certain places, a foreigner is required to take permission. If you violate these rules and regulations, we are bound to take action,” said the official to the news agency.
He added that denial of entry does not mean that the individual had been blacklisted forever. “It may be reviewed after six months or one year,” he said.
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Speaking to The Wire, president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia, S. Venkat Narayan said that a discussion had been held with ministry of external affairs’ external publicity division following the issuance of the circular.
He said that they were “not disputing” the sovereign rights of host governments to put restrictions on journalists in sensitive areas.
“But, we pointed out that it was important to expedite approval process in case the journalist has to travel to Kashmir to cover breaking news,” said Venkat Narayan.
He added that the MEA had stated that they will ask MHA to reduce the time taken to process the permits. “We are hoping to hear back on this,” he said.