New York, July 9 -- Authorities in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) are facing criticism following the detention of journalist Syed Farhad Ali Shah, with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urging his immediate and unconditional release.

Shah was taken into custody after reporting on demonstrations organised by the recently outlawed Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), raising fresh concerns over media freedom in the region, as reported by CPJ.

According to CPJ, Shah, a journalist associated with the digital news platform Times of Kashmir, was arrested on June 20 in Bagh district under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, a preventive detention law that permits authorities to hold individuals w...