Pakistan tightens media controls in contested Kashmir as elections draw to a close

As the assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir near their conclusion, the Sharif administration has introduced stringent rules that force foreign media staff to seek government approval for travel outside Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, and to vacate the contested valley at once. One outlet warned that these steps could cripple one outlet's reporting from the region, which has seen protests demanding greater autonomy since early June.

Two independent Pakistani journalists were seized on August 1 and held at an undisclosed location, while additional reporters have been summoned under a statute criminalising alleged misinformation. Human Rights Watch and local press organisations have denounced the crackdown, calling it an alarming contraction of free expression. The Pakistani ministry of information maintains that foreign outlets will continue operating and that a new permit system is being developed. The restrictions are expected to heavily affect coverage of the elections, which are slated to finish on August 10.