Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has lodged a formal protest with BBC Urdu, accusing the broadcaster of relying on unverified allegations while ignoring official facts and on-record statements in a report about Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The ministry rejected BBC Urdu’s report alleging road closures in the region, describing it as inaccurate and contrary to facts on the ground. A review of the report found that its headline and central allegation rested entirely on comments from a single anonymous source, with no video evidence, independent witnesses, official record, or third-party verification.
The AJK Government issued a specific fact-check rejecting BBC Urdu’s claim that police stopped citizens from carrying food, medicines, and fuel on roads. It confirmed all roads remained fully open to traffic.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting did not treat this as an isolated incident. “Unfortunately, this is not the first instance of such reporting,” the ministry stated. “The repeated publication of unverified claims has become a trend, and corrective measures must be taken.”
The AJK Government called on international media to exercise responsible journalism and refrain from publishing unverified content, particularly on regions that require careful and accurate coverage.
The protest signals a firmer official posture toward international media outlets whose reporting on AJK diverges from ground realities without meeting basic standards of verification.
