News Desk:
Pakistan’s media landscape is under severe pressure, facing what experts are calling an existential threat to press freedom and independent journalism. This alarming situation is highlighted in the Freedom Network’s Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom Report 2025, released ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
Titled “Free Speech and Public Interest Journalism Under Siege,” the annual report reveals that new challenges—including harsh amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) in January 2025—have intensified the crackdown on journalists and free expression in both digital and physical spaces. These legal changes have made it easier to arrest, detain, and silence journalists and dissenters.
“The media in Pakistan is facing a level of suppression rarely seen before. The state’s intolerance for critical voices is now more brutal than ever,” said Iqbal Khattak, Executive Director of Freedom Network and co-author of the report alongside Adnan Rehmat.
Covering developments from May 2024 to April 2025, the report documents an alarming surge in threats and attacks on media professionals. Five journalists lost their lives during this period—three in Sindh and two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). A total of 82 cases of harassment, threats, and violence were reported nationwide.
KP topped the list as the most dangerous province with 22 documented cases, followed by Islamabad (20) and Punjab (18). Balochistan reported four cases, while Azad Jammu and Kashmir recorded one.
The report also highlights 14 legal cases against journalists—most under the controversial PECA law—and at least eight detentions.
In addition to legal and physical threats, journalists face increasing censorship, political polarisation, gender-based challenges, and disinformation, all of which threaten journalistic integrity and public access to credible information.
While women’s participation in media has grown, the report notes persistent gender disparities across print, digital, radio, and television platforms.
Freedom Network urges the formation of a national movement to safeguard the constitutional right to free expression and dissent, and recommends a new charter for digital rights ensuring equal freedoms online and offline, universal internet access, and protection of digital freedom of speech.
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