The 27-year-old Khan was reportedly given the prize for his series of reports detailing how the move has impacted the local population on the erstwhile state
A freelance reporter from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Ahmer Khan, won the Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize on February 20 for his coverage of the erstwhile state after the Indian government's move to abrogate Article 370 of the Indian Constitution on August 5.
The central government had, both ahead of the move and following it, put J&K under a lockdown while detaining top political leaders in the state, including former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.
Abdullah and Mufti, along with Abdullah's father, Farooq, are still in detention along with other senior leaders from the state.
The 27-year-old Khan was reportedly given the prize for his series of reports detailing how the move has impacted the local population on the erstwhile state.
Despite curfews and a heavy security presence, Khan took to the streets with his camera to document the tensions, concerns and frustrations among the residents of Srinagar and other cities in Kashmir, news agency PTI reported.
According to the news agency, because of the communication shutdown in the region, Khan had to fly to New Delhi to file his reports.
"This is a real honour, and a huge motivation to carry on my work with enthusiasm and determination," Khan said of his win. "I want to dedicate this award to the courageous and resilient journalists from Kashmir who have been reporting in extremely difficult conditions for the past six months. This is a collective award," he added.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Khan has done stories for publications like The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, Al-Jazeera and the Christian Science Monitor among others. He has a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from University of Kashmir and has worked as a photographer with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The prize, named after an AFP war correspondent who reported from troubled spots across the world, comes with a with a 3,000 euro (USD 3,400) purse. It honours journalists working in perilous or difficult conditions in Asia.
The award, which in 2018 went to reporter Asad Hashim for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan, is administered by AFP and the Webb family.
The prize will be formally presented at a ceremony in Hong Kong later this year.Exclusive offer: Use code "BUDGET2020" and get Moneycontrol Pro's Subscription for as little as Rs 333/- for the first year.
