Sanaullah Bhat

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Sanaullah Bhat
Born(1922-11-14)14 November 1922
Died25 November 2009(2009-11-25) (aged 87)
OccupationJournalist
Notable workDaily Aftab

Sanaullah Bhat (14 November 1922 – 25 November 2009), also known as Khawaja Sonaullah Bhat,[1] was an Indian journalist, author and columnist who wrote in Urdu. He was the founding editor of the Daily Aftab, a newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir. He is considered to be the father of the press in Kashmir. He wrote several books, including Ahd nāmah-yi Kashmīr.

Life and career[edit]

Sanaullah Bhat was born on 14 November 1922.[2] His journalism career began in 1953 when he founded a weekly newspaper named Kashmir that was published from Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir.[2]

In 1957, Bhat began publishing Aftab, a daily Urdu newspaper, and was its editor for over 40 years.[1][2][3] He contributed the column Khazar Sochta Hai Wular Ke Kinare (transl. Khizer thinks at the banks of Wular) to the newspaper.[4] The Aftab was registered with the Indian Registrar of Newspapers in 1965.[5] The role of Aftab in Kashmiri journalism has been called exceptional.[6]

Bhat is thought to be the first to use offset printing for a newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir.[1] The Indian Express credits him with bringing photo journalism to the state.[1] He has been described as the "father of journalism" in Kashmir.[7][6][4] On the thirteenth anniversary of his death, Farooq Abdullah called him a devoted objective journalist and "the one who introduced street sale of newspapers" there. Omar Abdullah, a former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, described him as a pioneer of journalism in Kashmir.[4] According to Shabir Shah, the founder of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, analysing the Kashmir politics and presenting "it in the backdrop of subcontinent" was Bhat's routine affair work.[6]

In 1975, Bhat was elected the first president of Kashmir Press Club.[8] He died on 25 November 2009 at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, in Soura, Srinagar.[1]

Publications[edit]

Bhat's works include:[9]

  • Kashmir In Flames: An Untold Story of Kashmirʼs Political Affairs. Srinagar: Ali Mohammad. 1981. OCLC 10149952.
  • ʻAhd nāmah-yi Kashmīr
  • Kashmīr, 1947 se 1977 tak [Kashmir, from 1947 until 1977] (in Urdu). Je. Ke. Āfsaṭ Prinṭar. 1980. OCLC 8689496.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Khawaja Sonaullah Bhat passes away in Srinagar". Indian Express. 25 November 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Molvi, Bilal (25 November 2021). "مرحوم ثناءاللہ بٹ صحافت کے اُفق پر ایک چمکتا ہوا تارہ". Daily Aftab (in Urdu).
  3. ^ Moore, Molly; Anderson, John Ward (21 May 1995). "Kashmir in Flames: Why India Hides from the Truth". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ a b c "NC pays tributes to Khawaja Sanaullah Bhat on his 13th death anniversary". Greater Kashmir. 25 November 2022.
  5. ^ Showkat, Nayeem (October–December 2020). "Mapping the Mediasphere in Jammu & Kashmir". SAGE Open. 10 (4): 4. doi:10.1177/2158244020968076. S2CID 228845152.
  6. ^ a b c "Shabir pays rich tributes to Kashmir media doyen, Sona Ullah Aftab". Scoop News. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Khawaja Sanaullah was shining star of Kashmiri journalistic history: Yasin Malik". Kashmir News Service. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Forgotten story of Kashmir's first Press Club". The Dispatch. 11 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Baṭ, S̲anāʼullāh 1922-". WorldCat. Retrieved 23 January 2023.

Further[edit]