31 October 2004	Sunday	16 Ramazan 1425

MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 30: The Hizbul Mujahideen and Muzaffarabad-based journalists have strongly condemned the demolition of a newspaper office in Srinagar, terming it "yet another bid of the government to stifle the voice of already suppressed press in held Kashmir."

"We condemn in strong words the demolition of the building of office and printing press of daily Alsafa by the Mufti Sayeed government. The act has further exposed the regime's so called healing touch policy," said Hizb spokesman Salim Hashmi in a statement on Saturday.

"The Mufti sarkar, not different from the previous governments installed by New Delhi in the held territory, is brazenly persecuting and strangling those playing any role to expose its professed policy," he said.

The demolition squad of Srinagar Municipal Corporation on Friday demolished the building housing the office and printing press of Urdu daily Alsafa near Iqbal Park, saying the structure was an encroachment.

The structure was razed completely and the press, computers and furniture damaged.

The "criminal assault" on the Valley's largest Urdu language newspaper, according to Mr Hashmi, was an attempt to "bully the media persons in Kashmir into toeing the official line."