The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Sunday rejected Al Jazeera’s coverage of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, accusing the channel of selectively reporting from handpicked polling stations in Muzaffarabad to misrepresent the electoral process.
In a statement, the ministry said it had taken note of what it described as Al Jazeera’s “selective reporting” and alleged that the channel used carefully chosen timings and statements from selected individuals to create a misleading impression about the AJK elections and voting process.
The ministry termed such coverage “yellow journalism” and said it reflected the agenda of external actors with vested interests who were attempting to undermine the credibility of the electoral exercise.
It further claimed that efforts were being made to delegitimise the elections and disregard the public will of the people of Muzaffarabad and AJK, who, according to the statement, had demonstrated their rejection of “anarchy and coercion” through their participation in the voting process.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reiterated that the electoral process reflected the public mandate and said attempts to undermine it would not affect the people’s decision.
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