Pakistan has not banned transmission of Al Jazeera

Several social media accounts reported that Pakistan has suspended the transmission of Al Jazeera channel over regulatory concerns and alleged biased reports.

The controversy arose after the Doha-based channel referred to a suspect involved in a terror attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu as a ‘fighter’. Social media users took exception for referring to a ‘suicide bomber’ and a ‘terrorist’ as a ‘fighter’.

A news article on Feb 21 titled, “Two soldiers killed during military operation in Pakistan’s northwest: Army” was captioned on X, “Two soldiers have been killed during a military operation when a fighter driving an explosive-laden motorcycle rammed a security convoy vehicle in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the army.”

London-based media personality, Dr Shama Junejo, shared a picture on X captioned, “Pakistan suspends Al Jazeera broadcasts over regulatory concerns.”  The picture had the logo of HTN News, a digital media outlet. However, the post was no available on their social media accounts.

Another X account that regularly shared misinformation and unverified claims posted, “Pakistan has banned Al Jazeera for spreading propaganda in support of terrorist groups like BLA, TTP, and others.”

Fact Check

These claims are false. Pakistan has not banned or suspended the transmission of Al Jazeera channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar.

The channel is being aired on cable TV in Pakistan. Fact Check Pakistan confirms that channel is on air as of Feb 24, 2026. There has been no statement by Pakistan’s media regulator, PEMRA, regarding the ban on the channel.

The news also comes as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on a two-day official visit to Qatar. Pakistan enjoys cordial and brotherly relations with Qatar and such reports are an attempt to malign ties between the two countries.

Thus, the claim that Pakistan has banned or suspended the transmission of Al-Jazeera is false.