Ministry of Information accuses Qatar-based broadcaster of selective reporting as voters go to the polls amid unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Al Jazeera’s English-language website became inaccessible to users across Pakistan on Monday, a day after Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting accused the Qatar-based network of “selective reporting” and “yellow journalism” in its coverage of elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Users in multiple cities reported being unable to load the site on both desktop browsers and mobile data connections. Independent verification by local media outlets confirmed the disruption. At the time of reporting, neither the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) nor Al Jazeera had issued an official statement confirming a formal block or explaining the outage.
The accessibility issues followed a strongly worded statement posted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on its official X account on Sunday. The ministry said it had “taken note of Al Jazeera’s selective reporting from handpicked polling stations in Muzaffarabad today.”
Pakistan Accuses Al Jazeera of ‘Yellow Journalism’ Over AJK Poll Coverage:
“Through carefully chosen timings and scripted statements from selected individuals, the channel has sought to misrepresent the AJK elections and the voting process,” the statement read. “Such yellow journalism only confirms the agenda of external actors with vested interests who are attempting to delegitimise this electoral exercise and undermine the popular will of the people of Muzaffarabad and AJK, clearly demonstrated today in their rejection of anarchy and coercion.”
The ministry also reminded foreign media organisations that reporting assignments outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi require prior approval under the government’s external publicity guidelines.
The second phase of the AJK Legislative Assembly elections took place on Sunday, covering constituencies in the Muzaffarabad division and seats reserved for refugees living in Pakistan. Polling in some areas was postponed due to landslides and adverse weather. The elections are being held in phases between late July and mid-August amid a complex political backdrop.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has boycotted the polls. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an activist group that has organised protests over economic and political grievances, has also opposed the electoral process. Reports from the region have described weeks of unrest, strikes, and clashes between demonstrators and security forces, with local accounts citing dozens of deaths since June.
Al Jazeera Faces Reported Access Restrictions in Pakistan:
Al Jazeera’s recent reporting from Muzaffarabad highlighted low turnout in some areas linked to a strike call, interviews with residents who said they were staying away from polling stations, and references to the earlier violence. Pakistani authorities have portrayed the elections as a legitimate expression of the people’s will and have rejected narratives that frame the process as compromised.
The apparent restriction on Al Jazeera’s website comes at a time when access to several other digital news platforms has also been reported as limited in parts of the country. Critics, including activists and opposition voices, have described the move as an attempt to limit independent scrutiny of events in AJK. Government statements have framed critical coverage as externally driven efforts to undermine the elections.
No formal notification of a ban has been published by Pakistani regulators. Al Jazeera has not publicly commented on either the ministry’s accusations or the reported access problems.
The episode adds to long-standing debates over media freedom and information controls in Pakistan, particularly during periods of political sensitivity in contested regions. As the remaining phases of the AJK elections proceed, questions persist about the balance between official narratives of orderly voting and independent accounts of protest, disruption and restricted access to information.