The Pakistan government has blocked access to the Al Jazeera English website in the country, accusing the broadcaster of biased coverage of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections.
In a statement posted on X, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) said it had taken notice of what it described as “selective reporting” from polling stations in Muzaffarabad.
The ministry alleged that the broadcaster had sought to misrepresent the electoral process through “carefully chosen timings and scripted statements from selected individuals.”
Describing the coverage as “yellow journalism,” the ministry claimed it supported the agenda of “external actors with vested interests” seeking to undermine the credibility of the AJK elections and the mandate of voters.
The second phase of the elections covered nine territorial constituencies in Muzaffarabad Division and 12 refugee constituencies across Pakistan.
Polling in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I and 71 polling stations in LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II was postponed until Tuesday after landslides and severe weather prevented polling staff and election materials from reaching the affected areas.