0 months ago
Report: Pakistan used bullets, media blackout to hide PoK brutalities
In a place called Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, people were upset about problems in their daily lives.
They protested, but the government of Pakistan did not like that.
A new report says soldiers called Pakistani Rangers shot at people who were not armed and arrested many others.
The internet and phone service were also turned off for weeks at a time.
A TV news channel called Al Jazeera went to a city called Muzaffarabad to report on what was happening.
The Pakistan government then blocked Al Jazeera, so people in Pakistan could not watch it.
The government said the channel was not telling the whole story and was being unfair.
The report says the government blocked the channel because it did not want the world to see the protests.
The report also says the government never officially said it blocked the channel.
It is like someone who cannot argue with the facts, so they attack the messenger instead.
A 'One Word Outlook' report says Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has been under a virtual siege for two months.
Pakistani Rangers are reported to have fired on unarmed protesters, with mass arrests and weeks-long internet and mobile shutdowns across the region.
A grassroots rights coalition in the region has been formally designated a terrorist organisation.
On August 2, Pakistan restricted access to Al Jazeera English after it aired ground reporting from Muzaffarabad; the site went dark for millions of Pakistani users within about 24 hours.
Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Ministry accused Al Jazeera of 'selective reporting' and 'yellow journalism' but reportedly did not deny the coverage was accurate, and Islamabad never formally confirmed the block.
- Who
- Pakistan's government and Pakistani Rangers, protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Al Jazeera English, and the authors of the 'One Word Outlook' report.
- What
- A report alleges Pakistan answered a protest movement in PoK with live fire, mass arrests, communications blackouts, and a block on Al Jazeera English after its Muzaffarabad coverage.
- Where
- Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), especially Muzaffarabad; the block affected users across Pakistan.
- When
- The reported siege has lasted for the past two months; Al Jazeera was blocked on August 2 and the site went dark within roughly 24 hours.
- Why
- The report says Islamabad aimed to keep the outside world from seeing how dissent was being suppressed.
Protesters, rights groups and Al Jazeera
Pakistan's government
Al Jazeera's coverage of Muzaffarabad
Protesters, rights groups and Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera aired accurate ground reporting on election-related unrest and the security crackdown in Muzaffarabad; blocking the network was meant to hide how dissent was suppressed.
Pakistan's government
Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Ministry accused Al Jazeera of 'selective reporting' and 'yellow journalism,' saying it misrepresented the vote through hand-picked polling stations and scripted interviews.
Whether Islamabad ordered the blackout
Protesters, rights groups and Al Jazeera
The report treats the block as an official campaign of information control, with 'official deniability' being part of the crackdown itself.
Pakistan's government
Pakistan's government has never formally confirmed ordering the block, maintaining official deniability about the shutdown.
Key facts
- Reporting source
- One Word Outlook report
- Affected region
- Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), incl. Muzaffarabad
- Duration of crackdown
- Roughly two months ('virtual siege')
- Date Al Jazeera blocked
- August 2
- Effect of the block
- Site went dark for millions of Pakistani users within about 24 hours
- Ministry's accusation
- Selective reporting and yellow journalism; misrepresenting the vote
- Rights coalition status
- Formally designated a terrorist organisation
- Tactics cited
- Live fire by Rangers, mass arrests, internet and mobile shutdowns
Quotes
Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Ministry
Official ministry spokesperson
“"That framing matters. A government confident that its account of events could survive scrutiny would invite independent observers in and let the footage speak for itself. Instead, Islamabad reached for the oldest trick in the authoritarian playbook: when you cannot dispute the facts, discredit the messenger."”
thehansindia.com
al‑Jazeera English reporter
International journalist on the ground
“"The network had spent the preceding days airing detailed reports on the election‑related unrest and the security crackdown in Muzaffarabad."”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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