RSF - Reporters sans frontières

08/14/2026 | Press release | Archived content

Pakistan: Attempt to Impose a News Blackout in Kashmir Symptomatic of Intensifying Crackdown on the Media

Internet outages, the blockage of Al Jazeera, the arrest of journalists, travel restrictions imposed on foreign reporters, court summonses, and pressure aimed at forcing a television journalist to resign: attacks on press freedom are increasing at an alarming rate in Pakistan, particularly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the authorities to release detained journalists and put an end to this crackdown.

A sweeping crackdown on protests has also spread to the media. In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, protests calling for electoral reform were violently suppressed and led to mass arrests. At the same time, in recent weeks, the authorities have also stepped up measures to restrict media coverage of the region, where legislative assembly elections have been underway since July 27.

Internet access was suspended in the region on June 5 and has only been partially restored. On August 2, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting blocked access to the Al Jazeera website, accusing the media outlet of sensationalised news coverage of the region.

On August 4, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting then imposed new draconian guidelines: under the new 'Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026', 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".

The crackdown also targeted Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif. These two independent journalists, who work for the YouTube channel The Independent Lens, have been detained in Islamabad since August 1, after covering a demonstration in the capital in support of the protest movement in Kashmir.

Tahir had previously been arrested on June 23 under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), before being released on bail on July 8, 2026. This controversial law, amended in 2025, exposes journalists to criminal penalties based on vague concepts, such as the dissemination of "false information."

"The authorities appear to have done everything in their power to impose a veritable information blackout on Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The internet shutdown and restrictions on internet access, the surge in arrests and restrictions on access for media professionals, as well as prosecutions under the PECA, reveal a dramatic deterioration in press freedom in the country. RSF calls for the immediate release of detained journalists, the full restoration of internet access in Kashmir, the lifting of new restrictions targeting foreign media journalists, an end to abusive legal proceedings, and the guarantee of the right to information.

Célia Mercier
Head of the South Asia Office at RSF

Beyond Kashmir, legislation is increasingly being used to crack down on media professionals. 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".

State pressure is also being exerted on newsrooms. 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 program Spotlight.

"There was external pressure putting the management under severe strain," Jahangir told RSF. "The situation for journalists has never been so serious."

Pakistan ranks 153rd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2026 World Press Freedom Index.

Published on 14.08.2026
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