CPJ urges release of detained Kashmir journalist

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 8 July 2026 |  JP Global Monitoring

CPJ urged Kashmir authorities to immediately release journalist Syed Farhad Ali Shah, detained on June 20 under a preventive detention law after reporting on JAAC protests, warning that holding journalists without charge threatens press freedom.

Summary

MUZAFFARABAD — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Syed Farhad Ali Shah, who has been detained without charge after reporting on protests organized by a recently banned civil society alliance, raising fresh concerns about press freedom ahead of regional elections.

Ali Shah, who reports for the social media-focused outlet Times of Kashmir, was taken into custody on June 20 in Bagh district under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, a preventive detention law that allows authorities to hold individuals without charge for up to six months. According to CPJ, he was detained in Rawalakot after covering demonstrations called by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

CPJ raises alarm over detention

CPJ said no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the journalist and that he has not been produced before a court since his detention. A family member, speaking anonymously because of concerns over possible reprisals, told the organization that Ali Shah continues to be held without formal charges or judicial proceedings.

"The detention of Syed Farhad Ali Shah under a broad and vaguely worded preventive detention law is an attempt to silence journalists covering matters of public interest," CPJ's Afghanistan-Pakistan Representative Waliullah Rahmani said in a statement released Wednesday. He added that reporting on protests and political developments is not a crime and warned that detaining journalists without charge or due process sends "a chilling message to the press" ahead of elections in the region.

Growing political tensions

The detention comes during a period of heightened political tensions in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Authorities banned the Joint Awami Action Committee on June 5 under anti-terrorism legislation, according to media reports cited by CPJ. The alliance had been organizing protests against 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees who migrated to Pakistan from Indian-administered Kashmir decades ago.

The dispute escalated ahead of the July 27 regional elections, with demonstrations followed by a security crackdown that, according to reports referenced by CPJ, left at least 15 people dead, resulted in numerous arrests, and prompted internet disruptions imposed by authorities. Press freedom advocates have expressed concern that restrictions on reporting during periods of political unrest can limit public access to independent information.

Previous detention

Ali Shah has previously faced legal action linked to his reporting. CPJ noted that in May 2024, he was detained at his home in Islamabad and held for about two weeks before appearing in court. He was released on bail roughly a month later. Before that arrest, he had reported critically on demonstrations over rising prices in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The journalist has built a substantial audience on social media, with more than 100,000 followers on X, where he has regularly reported on political developments and public protests in the region. His latest detention has drawn renewed attention from international press freedom organizations monitoring the treatment of journalists in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

CPJ said it sought comment from the Central Police Office in Chatter, Muzaffarabad, regarding Ali Shah's detention but had not received a response at the time its statement was issued.

WHY THIS MATTERS: The case illustrates the risks journalists can face while covering politically sensitive events, particularly during election periods. For news organizations, it underscores the importance of monitoring the use of preventive detention laws and their potential impact on press freedom, public-interest reporting, and access to independent information.

ATTRIBUTION: Reporting by JournalismPakistan, based on publicly available statements from the Committee to Protect Journalists (July 8, 2026) and publicly available reporting cited by CPJ.

PHOTO: Screenshot, Mustafavi Students Movement Pakistan/YouTube/Circulated by CPJ