AMID constant sociopolitical turmoil, Pakistan’s journalists have been under siege for long. As attempts to intimidate them into silence grow more blatant, Balochistan’s reporters, caught between the state and violent militants, battle an exceptionally hostile environment. The perilous circumstances our media functions in are reflected in the Committee to Protect Journalists’ statistics, which show last year as the deadliest for media persons in 30 years: some 124 journalists were killed in 18 countries; Pakistan stood at number two, with Sudan, for the highest journalist fatalities. Recently, Abdul Latif Baloch, a journalist at Daily Intikhab, was gunned down in Mashkay area of Awaran district. According to reports, gunmen barged into his house with the intention to kidnap him. On resistance, the gunmen shot and killed him. The Balochistan Union of Journalists has issued aggressive condemnations and called for the immediate arrest of the culprits, but his family refuses to comment.

Media freedom fortifies representative democracy by holding power accountable and exposing injustice, while conveying truth to the public brings transparency into the business of the state. But the truth is that successive governments and the legal framework have proved ineffective in ensuring action against murderers of journalists. Their failures have shaped a culture of impunity whereby journalists are hounded by incessant threats and attacks. Freedom Network’s 2024 Impunity Report asserts that in Pakistan six journalists were killed between November 2023 and August 2024. It is a matter of shame that the cost of speaking truth to power is paying with one’s life, especially in conflict-ridden areas such as Balochistan and KP. Silencing journalists impacts all strata of society, damages democratic values as well as the public’s faith in the system. Hence, the authorities must commit to enforcing laws — particularly the relevant 2021 law — along with robust investigations into violence against the press so that such atrocities are halted and the perpetrators are convicted.

An earlier version of this editorial erroneously mentioned the name of the journalist as Abdul Wahid Raisani instead of Abdul Latif Baloch. The error is regretted and has been fixed.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2025