KARACHI: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged Pakistani authorities to ensure respect for citizens’ right to journalism.

The call came after FactFocus, an investigative website, was rendered totally or partially inaccessible after it posted a story about the extraordinary wealth accumulated by the outgoing army chief’s family since he assumed the charge.

“It is unacceptable in a mature democracy that a perfectly sourced and careful investigative report about an issue of considerable public interest for Pakistanis should be brutally censored in this way,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.

“We call on information and broadcasting minister Marriyum Aurangzeb to ensure that FactFocus remains fully accessible to Pakistani citizens and is able to continue publishing its reports with complete freedom,” Bastard said.

The FactFocus site remained inaccessible for more than 20 hours on Nov 21.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2022