Pakistan arrested journalist Sohrab Barkat under controversial cybercrime laws for reporting on the unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Authorities arrested Barkat at his Islamabad residence on June 5 after publishing reports on his Youtube channel covering the recent protests in the region, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
CPJ said authorities confiscated his mobile phone and car keys before the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered an FIR against him on June 6. The FIR accused Barkat of violating the provisions of Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which criminalises the distribution of information deemed “fake” and “false” and carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
The NCCIA registered the case in reference to a June 5 video in which Barkat discussed the political situation in the troubled region. Authorities accused him of promoting the narrative of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the recently banned people’s movement that has been in the frontline of the ongoing protests.
The PoK government had banned the JAAC last week under the POJK Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014 after the group organised demonstrations against legislative seats reserved for refugees who migrated from India decades ago. The move led to massive protests, leading to a violent crackdown on the demonstration by security forces that left at least 15 people dead.
Protesters have accused the government of suppressing dissent as authorites made numerous arrests and restricted internet services across the region.
A local court lated remanded the journalist into custody for three days.
CPJ’s Afghanistan-Pakistan Representative Waliullah Rahmani urged authorities to release Barkat immediately, return his confiscated belongings, and end the use of broad allegations related to misinformation and security laws against media professionals. The detained journalist had previously spent almost 100 days in detention between November 2025 and March 2026 without formal charges, according to the CPJ.
