Islamabad [Pakistan], April 30 (ANI): Pakistan’s media environment is confronting a severe crisis ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, according to Freedom Network’s latest annual report, cited by Voicepk.net.
The report, titled “Regulatory Repression of Freedom of Expression,” warns that independent journalism is being systematically curtailed through legal measures, censorship, financial strain and escalating physical threats. Covering mid-2025 to early 2026, it says the crisis is no longer a series of isolated incidents but reflects a broader, institutional framework aimed at restricting dissent.
Central to the crackdown is the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), enacted in 2016 to combat cybercrime but increasingly used to target journalists, activists, lawyers and political commentators. The law’s vague provisions on “fake news” and “offensive content” have produced a chilling effect across the media sector. The report cites high-profile convictions, including those of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha for social media remarks, as examples of how PECA is being applied to criminalise expression.
By October 2025, at least 30 journalists faced 36 legal proceedings under PECA, and official figures showed 187 fake-news-related cases under the amended law. Critics say these actions disproportionately target dissenting voices and encourage self-censorship.
Freedom Network verified 129 violations against journalists during the review period. Nearly half involved legal intimidation—arrests, prosecutions and detentions—while physical assaults, threats and violence accounted for a substantial share. State authorities were identified as the primary perpetrators in over 60 percent of violations, largely through legal and custodial measures. Non-state actors—militant groups, criminal networks and political factions—also continued to threaten and attack journalists.
Regionally, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the most dangerous for media workers, making up nearly two-thirds of documented violations. The report notes lower figures from Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan may reflect underreporting due to security constraints and limited documentation capacity.
Digital and technological controls have expanded sharply. Television channels have faced abrupt suspensions, online content has been blocked, and authorities have pursued bans on multiple YouTube channels accused of anti-state narratives. Internet shutdowns and connectivity disruptions further restricted access to information, notably a 16-day blackout in Balochistan in August 2025.
Economic pressures have undermined media independence. Journalists have faced delayed salaries, mass layoffs, closure of local bureaus and increasing reliance on government advertising. Freedom Network warns that selective allocation of state advertising acts as an indirect but powerful lever over editorial decisions.
Women journalists are particularly vulnerable. The report documents workplace discrimination, online harassment, deepfake attacks and legal intimidation. Female representation in Pakistani news content has reportedly fallen to just four percent, highlighting systemic exclusion.
Although Pakistan has Right to Information laws, the report says weak implementation, bureaucratic resistance and secrecy laws erode transparency and accountability.
Freedom Network urges urgent reforms: revise PECA, strengthen protections for journalists, enforce RTI effectively and ensure balanced digital regulation. Without such measures, the report concludes, Pakistan risks entrenching censorship, repression and institutional fragility that could severely harm its democratic future. (ANI)
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