Paris, August 18 (IANS) As unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) deepens, a leading international press freedom organisation called on the Pakistani authorities to release detained journalists and end the sweeping crackdown on media professionals in the occupied territory.
Expressing grave concern, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that internet outages, the blocking of international media outlet Al Jazeera, the arrest of journalists, travel restrictions imposed on foreign reporters, court summons, and attacks on press freedom are increasing at an alarming rate.
The organisation said that protests calling for electoral reform in PoK have been violently suppressed by Pakistani authorities resulting in mass arrests. At the same time, in recent weeks, the authorities have also stepped up measures to restrict media coverage of the region, where the so-called ‘legislative assembly elections’ were held from July 27.
Criticising the escalating crackdown in PoK, Celia Mercier, Head of the RSF South Asia desk said that the authorities appear to have done everything in their power to impose a veritable information blackout in the region.
She said that the “internet shutdown and restrictions on internet access, the surge in arrests and restrictions on access for media professionals”, as well as prosecutions under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), reveal a dramatic deterioration in press freedom in the country.
RSF called for the immediate release of detained journalists, full restoration of internet access in PoK, lifting of new restrictions targeting foreign media journalists, an end to abusive legal proceedings and the guarantee of the right to information.
The organisation noted that Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting blocked access to the Al Jazeera website on August 2, accusing the media outlet of sensationalised news coverage of the region.
Just two days later, the ministry introduced ‘Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026’, which RSF described as “new draconian guidelines”. Under the new guidelines, foreign correspondents – including Pakistani journalists working for international media outlets – are required to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to cover news outside the cities of Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.
The guidelines also stipulate that media professionals may have their accreditation revoked for vague reasons such as “acts contrary to Pakistan’s ideology, sovereignty, security, or public order”.
Beyond PoK, the RSF said that legislation is increasingly being used to crack down on media professionals in Pakistan. On July 29, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) summoned freelance journalist Asad Ali Toor under Section 26A of the PECA, which penalises the dissemination of “false information”.
The organisation further said that state pressure is also being exerted on newsrooms across Pakistan. In July, journalist Munizae Jahangir, vice chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was forced to leave ‘Aaj TV’ after 11 years at the helm of her television programme Spotlight.
“There was external pressure putting the management under severe strain. The situation for journalists has never been so serious,” RSF quoted Jahangir as saying.
–IANS
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