Only 5 of 180 newspapers published

Kashmir has nearly 180 English and Urdu daily newspapers, but only five are publishing these days due to restrictions imposed by Indian authorities to prevent unrest after New Delhi revoked the state's autonomy.

That is frustrating for the region's journalists, many of whom are veterans of covering a long insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir and operating under prolonged curfews.

"This is the biggest story of our generation and we haven't been able to report it," said Faisul Yaseen, associate editor of Rising Kashmir, one of the handful of newspaper groups that is still publishing.

With phone lines and internet services suspended, six newspaper editors and journalists told Reuters they have no way to access wire reports or any outside online news sources, their district correspondents, and seek comment from government officials.

An Indian foreign ministry spokesman said there was no restriction on the press.

"Even in the worst of times, the press were given curfew passes," said Morifat Qadri, executive editor of the Daily Afaaq, which usually prints 4,000 copies daily.

"They don't want that anybody covers the current situation," he said.