MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Leading journalist unions in Pakistan have criticised the Azad Jammu and Kashmir(AJK) government for registering a case against media in Azad Kashmir. A case against a local newspaper has been registered, prompting the Pakistan Journalist Union to threaten to launch countrywide protests if the charges are not withdrawn.
The case has been filed against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir Times, an Urdu-language publication based in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir. Known as the region’s oldest newspaper, the publication is facing accusations of spreading “fake news” and “negative propaganda” against state authorities.
The charges stem from articles published in the newspaper’s March 26 and 28 editions. According to a complaint lodged by the Azad Kashmir Home Department Affairs on April 6, the reports allegedly contained incorrect details regarding the creation of a new paramilitary Rangers force intended to oversee security in several parts of the region.
Officials claimed the articles endangered public order and damaged the government’s reputation. The newspaper has been booked under multiple sections of the Azad Penal Code (APC), including those related to defamation and criticism of government officials.
The move follows a controversial amendment made last year to Section 505 of the region’s Penal Code of 1860. The amendment criminalises public criticism of government officials, with punishments including a minimum of seven years in prison.
In response, Afzal Butt, President of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), released a video message strongly opposing the case. “If this case is not withdrawn, then we will begin our protest movement,” Butt warned. “This will begin from every village and city in Azad Kashmir to all of Pakistan’s provinces and capital.”
He also pointed out that, to the best of his knowledge, this is the first instance of a police case being registered against a newspaper in the history of Azad Kashmir. The Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) also condemned the move, describing it as “an open attack on the freedom of press and a cowardly act.”
RIUJ President Tariq Ali Virk demanded the immediate withdrawal of the First Information Report (FIR), stating that continued authoritarian tactics would compel the union to devise a protest plan soon.
