Al Jazeera Banned in Pakistan Over Allegations of Yellow Journalism

❐ International Desk

Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera has been banned in Pakistan for allegedly engaging in “yellow journalism” over the Azad Kashmir assembly elections and recent developments in the conflict.

Although the central government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has not issued any official notification in this regard, it is reported that Al Jazeera’s website has not been accessible from various parts of Pakistan since Monday.

On the same day, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting criticized Al Jazeera’s report in a statement.

It was claimed that the media outlet had published a ‘fabricated’ report on the ongoing assembly elections based on information from a limited number of polling stations in Muzaffarabad.

It is also alleged that the situation has been presented differently, giving priority to the statements of a few selected individuals.

The ministry’s statement also said that the government believes there may be a special motive behind publishing such reports in the current political situation.

Incidentally, after the end of British rule in 1947, 10 districts of Jammu and Kashmir region including Muzaffarabad and Gilgit-Baltistan came under the control of Pakistan. Later, Muzaffarabad and the adjacent region were called ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir’.

There are a total of 53 seats in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Of these, 33 are general seats contested by local candidates. Of the remaining 20 seats, 12 are reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir in India and 8 are reserved for women, ulema and technocrats.

Meanwhile, the Azad Kashmir-based political organization Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAK) has been protesting for the past few months demanding the abolition of the ‘refugee quota’. In the context of the movement, the Pakistani central government banned the organization last June.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan has announced the schedule for the three-phase assembly elections. According to the announced schedule, voting is scheduled for three districts on July 27, August 2 and August 10.

The report states that 30 people were killed in clashes between security forces and local crowds on the first day of voting, July 27.

There was no immediate response from the media outlet regarding the action taken against Al Jazeera. However, the international organization of journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), has expressed concern about the situation.

The organization said in a statement that press freedom in Pakistan-administered Kashmir is gradually being curtailed amid the ongoing protests.

CPJ calls on Pakistani authorities to immediately end these measures, normalize the flow of information, and ensure an environment for independent journalism, citing concerns over the shutdown of internet and telecommunications services, restrictions on news gathering, and allegations of detention and disappearance of journalists.