LAHORE, May 30: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Monday condemned registeration of cases against two journalists accusing them of defamation and inciting public fear. In a press release, HRCP termed it an effort to punish anyone critical of authorities.

The cases were against reporters of an Urdu and an English-language paper.

Over the past few months, repression of press freedom, despite many claims to the contrary, has increased. Official advertisement, a key revenue source for all newspapers, has once more been stopped to the Nawa-i-Waqt group. Similar action against the group was taken last year and it took many months to resolve the crisis, the HRCP adds.

The HRCP has received a number of complaints of intimidation to reporters, editors and owners of newspapers and it has become increasingly clear that such harassment was the part of a plan to stifle media liberties.

The HRCP, it said, reiterates its warning that restricting basic freedoms, even while cosmetic laws purporting to freedom of information remained in place, could act only to create greater environment of suffocation in the country.