Kashmir Times: The Mouthpiece of Islamic Terrorism

 

On 20 November, the Jammu and Kashmir Police raided the Jammu office of Kashmir Times, a local English newspaper of the region. The raids took place as part of the ongoing action against alleged terror funding, separatist networks, and the promotion of secessionist and Jihadist ideology.

 

The media house was found to be an abode to deadly weapons. Around fourteen AK-47 cartridges, pistol rounds and three grenade safety levers were recovered during the searches at the newspaper’s office. The authorities have registered an FIR under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Kashmir Times, its promoters and Executive Editor Anuradha Bhasin.

 

 

The SIA has accused Bhasin and her newspaper of involvement in a criminal conspiracy with secessionist and other anti-national entities active in and outside Jammu and Kashmir. Anuradha Bhasin, who is currently reported to be in the United States, is likely to be questioned by the SIA about her alleged role in a coordinated publicity network that promotes Jihadi terrorist and separatist ideology, disseminates inflammatory and fabricated narratives, and attempts to radicalise youth.

 

 

The action against Kashmir Times comes at a time when investigations are underway into the massive car blast that took place near Delhi’s Red Fort on 10 November. The Jihadi terror attack killed thirteen people. The prime accused behind the attack has been identified as Dr Umar-un-Nabi, a key member of a radicalised module of doctors and clerics that authorities say was planning larger acts of terror. Around three thousand kilograms of explosives and weapons were recovered from several doctors linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed. The Jihadi module had been preparing to carry out a Hamas style strike similar to the assault in Israel in October 2023.

 

During the investigation, the NIA also found video material showing Umar-un-Nabi speaking about suicide bombing and describing it as a profound religious act rather than an act of violence. The probe agency continues to investigate links between the Delhi module and handlers in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

 

The investigators believe that the same network may have had connections with groups attempting to spread propaganda through certain media channels that are now under scrutiny by the SIA. The report below examines the bylines and previously reported incidents where Kashmir Times has acted as the mouthpiece of Islamic terrorism.

 

 

Three days before the raid, Bhasin published an article that downplayed Pakistan’s role in the Delhi blast that killed thirteen people. Instead, she shifted the focus to supposed Islamophobia and portrayed the investigation as prejudice against Muslims, even though the attack was linked to Islamist extremists.

 

 

She further argued that India should refrain from blaming Pakistan because of nuclear brinkmanship. This justification mirrors decades old ISI talking points.

 

 

 

Her book, A Dismantled State, was banned by the Jammu and Kashmir government for spreading false claims about occupation, sympathy for separatists, and narratives that Pakistan has promoted since 1990. The book openly normalised separatist slogans such as We were never part of India.

 

 

After the Pahalgam terror attack that targeted Hindus, Bhasin described the massacre as an outburst of resentment. She effectively justified Islamist violence by linking it to the abrogation of Article 370, instead of acknowledging radicalisation and Pakistan’s terror networks.

 

 

Bhasin amplified a Caravan story that accused the Indian Army of torture and killings. Kashmir Times frequently refers to PoK as Pakistan administered Kashmir or PaJK. This is the terminology used by Pakistan’s information warfare departments.

 

 

Kashmir Times offered space to Prashant Bhushan’s piece that accused the Supreme Court of betrayal for validating the abrogation of Article 370. The article portrayed a unanimous Supreme Court judgment as part of a sinister conspiracy, which again aligned with Pakistan’s narrative.

 

 

Bhasin dismissed the Supreme Court’s reasoning and the constitutional process by calling the move a fraud. This language is indistinguishable from separatist rhetoric used by Hurriyat leaders.

 

 

In an op-ed for The New York Times, Bhasin claimed that Prime Minister Modi is destroying India’s press freedom, creating information vacuums, and crushing media outlets in Kashmir. Her framing catered to Western liberal publications that often promote anti India narratives, especially concerning Kashmir.

 

 

The Jammu and Kashmir administration sealed a government owned property that was illegally occupied by Kashmir Times long after it was supposed to be vacated. Instead of returning state resources, Bhasin portrayed the lawful eviction as intimidation.

 

 

Bhasin moved the Supreme Court claiming media curbs in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. The Supreme Court later ruled that restrictions must be proportionate but did not endorse her allegations. Despite this, she used the case to present herself as a national victim of the state.

 

 

Ved Bhasin, the founder of Kashmir Times and Anuradha’s father, was a friend of Ghulam Nabi Fai, an ISI agent convicted in the United States, along with Jamaat-e-Islami circles and pro Pakistan Kashmiri separatist lobbies. Fai praised Ved Bhasin as someone who believed in Kashmir’s separation from India.

 

 

The JKLF celebrated Bhasin as a supporter of their ideology. His connections with Maqbool Bhat’s network show the family’s long standing ideological alignment with separatist causes.

 

 

Anuradha Bhasin wrote a Countercurrents article that portrayed Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as a martyr. She also romanticised Maqbool Bhat, the founder of JKLF, who is considered an icon of Pakistan backed militancy.

 

 

When Fai was arrested for receiving millions from the ISI to run anti-India campaigns, Bhasin defended him aggressively. She claimed that the ISI is not a banned terror outfit, ignoring the fact that the ISI funded groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen.

 

 

Her EPW article accused Indian forces of brutal action, oppression and killing children. The claims were exaggerated and mirrored separatist propaganda. The article ignored Pakistan backed radicalisation and stone pelting mobs.

 

 

Ved Bhasin and Anuradha Bhasin were regular participants in conferences organised by Fai’s ISI funded Kashmir American Council. These events consistently pushed the demand for a plebiscite, the internationalisation of Kashmir, and India’s withdrawal. All three demands lie at the core of Pakistan’s propaganda strategy.

 

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