SRINAGAR: When people think of television news in India, the conversation usually revolves around large national networks based in Delhi, Mumbai or other major metropolitan centres. But Jammu & Kashmir has also developed its own 24×7 television news operation — ANN News, the flagship television network of Aalimi News Network.
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From a Kashmir newsroom to a growing media network: the story of ANN News, ANN Entertainment and Aalimi Nation
Headquartered in Srinagar, ANN News describes itself as Jammu & Kashmir's first and only 24×7 local TV news channel. The channel was launched in 2016 and has built its programming around news and current affairs from Jammu & Kashmir, alongside national and international developments.
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ANN News operates under Aalimi News Network Private Limited and is led by journalist Tariq Bhat as Promoter and Editor-in-Chief. Public reporting from 2022 records that Bhat was selected for a Jammu & Kashmir State Award in the media category that year.
A television newsroom from Srinagar
ANN News has developed programming in multiple languages, including Kashmiri, Urdu and Hindi, allowing it to reach different sections of the region's audience.
Its newsroom covers politics, administration, security, civic issues, education, business, sports, entertainment and other subjects affecting everyday life in Jammu & Kashmir. The network also carries national and international stories.
The channel's own website currently describes ANN News as Jammu & Kashmir's first and only 24×7 television news channel and lists its availability on cable television, Jio Set Top Box, Jio Mobile TV and other digital platforms.
ANN News was reported as becoming available on the Jio Set Top Box on channel 1114 in 2022, marking another step in its distribution beyond traditional local cable networks.
Beyond news: building a wider media network
The ANN story has increasingly moved beyond television news.
The network has expanded its media activities into entertainment and publishing, creating a broader platform intended to connect television, digital journalism and print.
ANN Entertainment
The network has also launched ANN Entertainment, a separate entertainment-focused television venture covering areas such as music, films, fashion and entertainment.
The move reflects an attempt to create programming beyond conventional news and current affairs, while providing a platform for regional artists, performers and creative talent.
A magazine from Kashmir with a national footprint
Another major development is Aalimi Nation, a print and digital publication launched under ANN News Network.
Unlike a conventional local publication, Aalimi Nation has been positioned as a national and international news magazine published from Srinagar.
The publication covers India, world affairs, politics, business, culture, health, law, technology and artificial intelligence, alongside stories connected to Kashmir.
The Press Registrar General of India records Aalimi Nation as a registered monthly publication in English and Urdu, with Aalimi News Network Private Limited as owner, Srinagar as its place of business and publication, and Tariq Ahmad Bhat as publisher and editor. The registration date is recorded as 3 June 2026.
The publication's current website describes Aalimi Nation as an international publication and flagship venture of ANN News Network, available in print and digital editions.
Its September 2026 edition is listed as Volume 1, Issue 03, with 36 pages.
From local reporting to national and global journalism
The significance of this development lies not simply in the creation of another media outlet.
It reflects a broader change in Kashmir's media ecosystem.
A newsroom based in Srinagar can now distribute television bulletins, live programmes, digital reports, social-media content and a nationally available magazine from the same media organisation.
For a region whose stories are frequently consumed through national media organisations, the existence of a locally headquartered television and publishing operation creates another route through which Kashmir's issues, voices and perspectives can reach audiences.
That does not make a local newsroom automatically more accurate or more authoritative. Like every media organisation, it must ultimately be judged by the quality of its reporting, verification standards, editorial independence and willingness to correct mistakes.
But the institutional journey itself is notable.
The man behind the network
At the centre of this expansion is Tariq Bhat, who has been associated with ANN News as its Promoter and Editor-in-Chief.
Bhat's media career has included television anchoring, interviews, debates and newsroom operations. A 2022 report by NDTV,ZEE NEWS ,ANI,DD NEWS , said he was selected for a Jammu & Kashmir State Award in the media category and identified him as the promoter and Editor-in-Chief of ANN News.
Today, the organisation's activities extend across television, entertainment, digital journalism and magazine publishing.
Why this matters for Kashmir
The media landscape of Jammu & Kashmir has changed significantly with the expansion of television, OTT platforms, social media and digital publishing.
ANN News represents one example of a locally based media organisation attempting to operate across these different formats.
Its evolution can be broadly understood in three stages:
TELEVISION → ENTERTAINMENT → NATIONAL DIGITAL & PRINT MEDIA
What began as a television news operation in Srinagar has developed into a wider media initiative involving ANN News, ANN Entertainment and Aalimi Nation.
For Kashmir, the larger story is about the ability of locally based media organisations to build institutions that can report not only on the region, but also participate in India's national and international media conversation.
FROM KASHMIR TO THE WORLD
The ambition is no longer limited to broadcasting Kashmir's news to Kashmir.
It is about building a media platform from Srinagar that can carry Kashmir's stories to the country and the world's stories back to Kashmir.
And that makes ANN News's journey worth documenting as part of the evolving media history of Jammu & Kashmir.
