Munshi Muhammad Din Fauq (1877- 1945) the first journalist of Kashmir to start a newspaper named Panja e Faulad (claw of steel) in 1901. He had dedicated his life to the cause of Kashmir as a Journalist.
In 1890โs, he came in contact with Allama Iqbal and Daag Dahelvi and started to mature his poetic instincts. The central theme of Fauqs poetry was Kashmir, which talks of description of the beauty of Kashmir and also poetry on the oppression and despotism under the tentacles of which Kashmir had been breathing since the commencement of the Dogra Raj.
Allama Iqbal gave him the title โMujadid e Kashamaraโ, meaning the reยฌformist of Kashmir and its people.
In 1906, he started Kashmiri Magazine on a monthly basis. Kashmiri Magazine attracted a large number of readers and people from all walks of life read and appreciated its content. With growing readership the circulation of Kashmiri Magazine reached about two thousand and eight hundred and any news published in Kashmiri magazine created tumult and excitement among the people in Kashmir, Jammu, Ladakh and Poonch. Through this newspaper Fauq exposed the autocratic and communal nature of the Dogra regime. Panja-e-Faulad closed down in 1906
In 1902 Miyan John Mohammad Ganai started โKashmiri โGazetteโ under the editorship of Mohamed-ud-din-Fauq. It was a monthly journal and its purpose was to cater to the requirements of Kashmiri people within and outside Kashmir. The Kashmiri Gazette came to an end with the death of John Mohammad Ganai in 1905.
In 1906 Fauq approached Raja Amar Singh for permission to launch a paper and press in Kashmir but the permission to issue a paper in Kashmir was refused.
In 1909 Kashmiri Anjuman which had already been in existence, was renamed as the โMuslim Conferenceโ. Dr.Sir Mohammad Iqbal became the General Secretary of this association. Fauq himself was its joint Secretary.
In 1913, Fauq changed Kashmiri Magazine to Akhbar e Kashmiri, and this newspaper wrote on the historical, political and social issues of Kashmir. He started Kashmiri Magazine initially on monthly basis but after finding a very encouraging response it was issued on weekly basis in 1913 and it continued to be issued till 1939.Besides, he also launched a new newspaper Tarikat in 1914 and a journal Nizam in February 1919, and also brought out Rahnuma e Kashmir. Allama Brij Mohan Dataria โKaafiโ Dahelvi has also mentioned Fauq as the last Editor of another newsยฌpaper, the Akhbar โ e Kohinoor.
He has been much ignored and left behind the curtains of time, even though he wrote so much on Kashmir and its people.
The most important and recognized contribution of Fauq is his work in the field of Historiography. He possessed a definite sense of history and a considerable comprehension of the sociopolitical scenario of his times and those of the people. His arduous efforts to find out the origins of Kashmiri casts, tribes, groups, dynasties are sim-ply commendable. Perhaps books like Tareekh- e Aqwaam e Kashmir (the History of the people of Kashmir), Tareekh e Aqwaam e Poonch (the History of the people of Poonch), Tareekh e Aqwaam e Jammu (the History of the people of Jammu), Tareekh e Aqwaam e Ladakh wa โ Gilgit (the History of the people of Laยฌdakh and Gilgit), Mukammal Tareekh- e Kashmir, etc are the greatest of contributions which Fauq has made to the people of Kashmir and their history.
Fauqโs poetic compositions are stuffed with a call to the Kashmiriโs to wake- up from their deep slumber, ignorance and illiteracy and realize their past greatness