A NEW era of censorship is upon us. The FIA’s arrest of journalist and founder of media agency Raftar, Farhan Mallick, apparently for the digital platform’s content, is the latest incident that strikes at the heart of freedom of expression. The additional director of the agency’s Cybercrime Reporting Centre said that Mr Mallick had been under inquiry for the last three months due to “several programmes against the security establishment”. He has been remanded to FIA custody for alleged Peca violations and defamation; the FIR is lodged under many sections of Peca, PPC Section 109 — “punishment of abetment if the act abetted committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment” — and Section 500 — “punishment for defamation”. It states “…the alleged person is involved in generating and disseminating posts and videos related to Anti-State consist of fake news and public incitement agenda…” This detention, which has been condemned by media associations and rights activists, has raised troubling questions about the reasons for false and fake information and the impact of deepening suppression.

The mounting manipulation of the media and digital platforms by a hardened regulatory regime, propelled by the political impulses of unelected elements, erodes integrity, authenticity and authority. Overt and covert ways to freeze honest voices through a draconian law reveal the state’s desire to play judge for its own self and decide what ‘content’ related to it is disingenuous. In doing so, it ends up betraying a discomfort with democratic values. Controversy and criticism from journalists and digital rights activists for ambiguous provisos that enable state interference have stalked Peca since its birth in 2016. Citizens should know that if fundamental freedoms are not fought for, oppression will consume all avenues. Meanwhile, the government must understand that silencing discourse creates a crisis of credibility in traditional media and makes space for unreliable narratives to flourish.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2025