However, police in Islamabad have not acknowledged the journalists’ detention and their whereabouts remain unknown. “The disappearance of Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif appears to be part of an escalating effort to silence independent reporting on Kashmir amid severe press freedom violations in the region,” said CPJ Afghanistan-Pakistan Representative Waliullah Rahmani. Saif is a Kashmiri journalist who works with Tahir, according to two journalists who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of state reprisals. Independent journalist Syed Farhad Ali Shah also remains in detention in connection with his coverage of the protests in Kashmir. There has been no update on his condition since he began a hunger strike on July 28 in Bagh district.