Pakistan Restricts Access to Al Jazeera Website After Reports on Protests in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir

Access to the English-language website of Qatar-based international news outlet Al Jazeera has reportedly been restricted in Pakistan following its coverage of anti-government protests and election-related unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Although Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has not officially announced a ban, users from different parts of Pakistan have reported on social media that they are unable to access Al Jazeera's English website.

Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has criticized the broadcaster's reporting, describing it as "selective" and "misleading."

In a statement posted on X, the ministry alleged that Al Jazeera deliberately focused on a limited number of polling stations in Muzaffarabad to present a distorted picture of the election process in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the name Pakistan uses for the territory it administers.

The ministry further claimed that the broadcaster relied on footage recorded at specific times and comments from selected individuals in an attempt to undermine the credibility of the elections.

According to the statement, such "yellow journalism" serves the interests of external actors seeking to delegitimize the electoral process and weaken the democratic mandate of the people of AJK.

Pakistan refers to the territory under its administration as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). India, meanwhile, maintains that the entire regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India and that Pakistan is in illegal occupation of portions of the territory.

CPJ Raises Press Freedom Concerns
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has strongly criticized what it describes as an escalating crackdown on press freedom in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

In a post on X, the organization said media freedom in the region has deteriorated rapidly amid the ongoing protests. It cited internet shutdowns, telecommunications disruptions, restrictions on newsgathering, and reports of journalists being detained or forcibly disappeared as deeply alarming.

CPJ urged Pakistani authorities to immediately end the crackdown on journalists, restore the free flow of information, and ensure that media organizations can operate without interference.

The organization also expressed concern over the safety of independent journalist Razi Tahir and his colleague Muhammad Saif, alleging that men wearing police uniforms took the two journalists from their office in Islamabad on August 1, after which their whereabouts became unknown.

CPJ said that if the journalists are in state custody, the government should publicly acknowledge their detention, ensure due legal process, and release them immediately if they are being held without legal grounds.

The organization further reported that Kashmiri journalist Raja Ikram, who was detained in Islamabad on August 1, was later released.

According to CPJ, restrictions on access to Al Jazeera's website followed the outlet's reporting on developments in Kashmir. The organization also noted media reports indicating that partial internet blackouts and strict telecommunications restrictions have been in effect across parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir since June 5.