Watchdog paints 2025 as ‘bleak year’ for Pakistani media
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• PPF report mentions 137 attacks targeting journalists in 10 months
• Notes eight arrests, 30 FIRs, 23 actions initiated by FIA and cybercrime agency
• Calls for genuine, stakeholder-led reform rather than ‘bulldozing’ measures
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) has warned of a “bleak” year for media safety and free expression in Pakistan, documenting at least 137 confirmed incidents targeting journalists and media professionals between January and October this year.
In a report released to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, PPF said threats ranged from physical assaults and detentions to criminal complaints, censorship orders and internet shutdowns, despite constitutional guarantees of free expression.
The PPF urged authorities to move “beyond lip service” and implement domestic and international commitments to protect press freedom, including effective use of existing safety laws and mechanisms.
The report documented 35 incidents of physical assault and manhandling, along with two journalists injured while on assignment, five detentions, two abductions and four attacks on property, including raids.
Legal pressure remained significant, with eight arrests, 30 FIRs — 22 of which invoked the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), including the newly introduced Section 26-A on “fake information” — and 23 actions initiated by the FIA and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
Journalists also faced intimidation, including seven threats (online and offline), three threats of legal action, seven cases of harassment, sometimes involving family members or political rhetoric, and two journalists placed on the no-fly list.
Meanwhile, censorship and restrictions included six suspensions of mobile or internet services, a Pemra directive, a court order blocking 27 YouTube channels (later suspended in separate proceedings) and restrictions on reporting outside Adiala Jail.
‘Brazen’ attacks
The PPF said political leaders’ rhetoric and government actions perpetuated a hostile climate for the press, alongside “brazen” attacks on property and the bulldozing of restrictive legislation.
It noted continued physical violence — including assaults, detentions and abductions — amid “a lack of preventive, protective and prosecutorial measures”.
The report highlighted the risks faced by journalists covering climate disasters. On Aug 30, Geo News reporter Irfanullah and cameraman Ali Arsalan were allegedly assaulted and forced away by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority personnel while reporting on flood-hit residents in Faisalabad.
“In what has now appeared to become an unfortunate tactic are attempts to undermine the sanctity of physical spaces, including press clubs,” the report said.
It said police forcibly entered Quetta Press Club on March 1; men linked to a shrine dispute attacked Badin Press Club on June 2; and Islamabad’s National Press Club was raided on Oct 2, with journalists assaulted on the premises.
The PPF examined eight murders of media workers this year; six were deemed unrelated to journalistic work, while two — Abdul Latif Baloch and Imtiaz Mir — remain inconclusive.
It called for genuine, stakeholder-led reform rather than “bulldozing” measures such as the Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act 2025, which drew concern over potential misuse.
Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2025
