The Kashmir Press Club has condemned the attack and asked for an investigation into the matter.

According to J&K police, Malik was an active militant who snatched a police rifle while being questioned and had to be shot. According to his family, he was a labourer who voluntarily presented himself to the police for questioning.

Despite several calls for his release by media bodies around the world, there seems no hope for the award-winning journalist’s return home any time soon.

Scholars who should be focusing on their studies are also grappling with the psychological trauma inflicted by the region's threatening, volatile political atmosphere.