ISLAMABAD: As press freedom continues to erode across Pakistan, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) region has become the latest battleground in the growing assault on journalism.
In a troubling move, the AJK government has filed charges against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir, a leading Muzaffarabad-based newspaper, along with its digital counterpart Jammu Kashmir Digital. The state has accused the outlets of spreading “fake news” and “propaganda”—a clear attempt to muzzle critical reporting.
This marks an alarming precedent: for the first time in the region's history, a First Information Report (FIR) has been officially registered against a major media house. The FIR, lodged on April 6 by the AJK Department of Home Affairs, sends a chilling message to journalists across the region—report truthfully at your own risk.
In a blog on the International Federation of Journalists, Mahnoor Qureshi, a journalist based in Islamabad, has filed a report on how the journalism is facing assault from the ruling dispensation in Azad Jammu Kashmir region (A part of the divided Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistan control). The blog appears under the headline, “#IFJBlog: Pakistan - Journalism under siege in AJK region”.
The IFJBlog says that “Across Pakistan, threats against journalists have intensified in recent months. Murders, abductions, harassment, and legal persecution have become disturbingly common. At the same time, internet blackouts and restrictions on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) have further suffocated free expression and citizen journalism.”
The controversial amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) have only deepened the crisis. These revisions restrict online freedoms, granting the government broader authority to arrest and prosecute individuals—particularly journalists—under vague and sweeping charges.
Historically, journalists in Pakistan-administered Kashmir enjoyed a degree of editorial independence not always afforded to their counterparts elsewhere in the country. But that space is now shrinking. Authorities are increasingly pressuring media to deliver favorable coverage of government initiatives—leaving little room for critical or investigative reporting.
Despite these challenges, the fight for press freedom must continue. We must not fall silent in the face of censorship and state repression. As journalists, our duty is to the truth—even when those in power try to suppress it.
The voices of those resisting oppression will not be easily silenced. And as long as injustice persists, journalism must prevail.
The full text of the Blog is as follows:
Every new day brings new challenges for journalists in the developing states of Pakistan, with the number of journalists' murders, abductions, and threats increasing drastically.
The last few months specifically, have been very challenging. Internet blockages and restrictions on social media platforms such as X has prohibited freedom of speech and impeded on citizen journalism. Then, the amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) Act restricted the movements of all individuals online, as well as the registration of several cases against journalists under it.
People living in Pakistan-administered Kashmir had experienced some leeway in relation to media expression. However, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government have continuously pressurised journalists for positive reporting of all its initiatives, with their limited freedoms being taken away in light of recent news.
Previously, news of filing a First Information Report (FIR) against journalists by the AJK Department of Home Affairs was making rounds on social media, but the FIR itself had not surfaced. However, for the first time in the history of the independent region, the government was revealed to have filed this FIR in Muzaffarabad on April 6 against prominent newspaper The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and Jammu Kashmir Digital for allegedly spreading “fake news” and “propaganda” against the government.
When complainant, Interior Minister Khalid Iqbal Lone, was questioned about the FIR, he said he only wrote a letter to the Department as advised by the seniors and “unaware” of his name being raised as a complainant. According to the complaint filed, the March 26 and 28 editions of the newspapers included a report containing “incorrect details about the formation of a new Paramilitary Ranger Force that was established to “manage security in several parts of the territory.”
The complaint claimed the news was fake, leading to invocation of legal action under several sections of the Azad Penal Code (APC), including Sections 500, 501, 504 and 505. When approached for comment, Information Minister Mazhar Saeed said he is “out of country” and the stance of the AJK government is clearly reflected in the FIR.
This is not the first time that the Daily Jammu Kashmir was sanctioned by the state government. For two years, the newspaper was barred from promoting advertisements by the Press Information Department. It’s clear the government's aim is to control the organisation via financial means.
However, this is not only about one media house; it represents the government’s collective stance against the media. To effectively curb freedom of expression, the AJK government passed a controversial amendment to Section 505 of the region’s Penal Code of 1860 in September 2024, making public criticism of government officials a punishable offense and penalties including a minimum of seven years in prison. These tactics are used to pressure media into propagating their own agenda.
The government's act against the newspaper has been widely condemned both within the AJK region and across Pakistan. However, authorities have not retracted its stance. Numerous journalist unions have resisted against the draconian act, calling it a controlling of the media.
President for the Pakistan Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Rana Azeem, joined in condemning the act, stating that the government has decided to not spare anyone who would write, speak, or show the truth. He mentioned that PFUJ will protest across the state to dispose of the FIR and further promote freedom of speech at the state and local levels.
Whether these efforts bear fruit or go in vain, our voices deserve to be heard. But one thing is for sure, the state of media in Pakistan is becoming more alarming with every passing day and we must not grow silent.
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