Pakistani Constitution 1973 guarantees freedom of press,Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020,media as it deals with covering the COVID-19 pandemic

Pakistani Constitution 1973 guarantees freedom of press,Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020,media as it deals with covering the COVID-19 pandemic,,,,,,,,

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Report;ASGHAR ALI MUBARAK
Pakistani Constitution 1973 guarantees freedom of press, freedom of expression and the basic premise for media freedom. While emphasizing the state’s allegiance to Islam, the constitution underlines the key civil rights inherent in a democracy and states that citizens:
Shall be guaranteed fundamental rights, including equality of status, of opportunity and before law, social, economic and political justice, and freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship and association, subject to law and public morality. The root for the article 19 freedom of expression traced from South Asia when any body was directly sentenced to death if they uttered a single word against the government.
The media in Pakistan dates back to pre-partition years of British India, where a number of newspapers were established to promote a communalistic or partition agenda. The newspaper Dawn, founded by Quaid –E-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and first published in 1941, was dedicated to promoting for an independent Pakistan. The conservative newspaper, Nawa-i-Waqt, established in 1940 was the mouthpiece of the Muslim elites who were among the strongest supporters for an independent Pakistan.
In a sense, Pakistani print media came into existence with a mission to promulgate the idea of Pakistan, which was seen as the best national option for the Muslim minority in British India and as a form of self-defense against suppression from the Hindu majority.

Between January 2019 and April 2020, journalists in Pakistan worked under increasing restrictions with little
accountability of those who limit freedom of expression, continue to target journalists and aim to discredit the work of the
media through a range of tools from attacking journalists to placing financial constraints on media outlets as a pressure
tactic.
This year has brought the severe challenge for the media as it deals with covering the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, to
the media in other countries, Pakistani media has had to adapt and find new ways of working as it covers the spread of
the virus in the country.
The media has struggled to cope with the rising number of cases in the country and at least 38 media workers have
tested positive for the coronavirus. The actual figures could be much higher as only a small fraction of media workers
have been tested for the virus. Two journalists also passed away as a result of COVID-19. The media is required to be
at the frontlines and are often in situations where they are exposed to others who may have tested positive for the virus
or interacted with those who have. The number of positive cases amongst media workers, however, is an alarming trend
that reflects a lapse in the implementation of the necessary measures to ensure the safety of media workers and prevent
their exposure to the virus. Media organizations as well as the government have not effectively ensured the timely
provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to media workers.
In addition to providing the protection of media workers, the coronavirus has also created new challenges for the media
regarding: how to cover the pandemic, ensuring accurate information as fake news is circulated on social media
platforms, making sense of data on the virus, countering government rhetoric that undermines media coverage as well
as the financial setback created by the virus, which has send much of the world in some form of lockdown.
The first half of the 2019-20 Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) report on media safety and press freedom in Pakistan
examines the challenges that have been created for the media with the emergence of the coronavirus, both in terms of
safety as well as press freedom. It discusses how the media has dealt with the challenges that have so far emerged and
recommendations in order to best ensure the safety of media workers will be discussed.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
The report also looks at factors surrounding press freedom and the safety of journalists in Pakistan during
2019-20 that has seen an increased muzzling of the freedom of expression in a country that has an
already weak track record on press freedom.
Journalists have come under fire for their work in various arenas and have faced physical assault,
including in two instances deaths of journalists due to their work. In at least one instance this year, a
journalist was briefly abducted and harassed. In another instance, the house of a journalist was raided and
a publishing house printing renowned writer Muhammad Hanif’s book in Urdu was raided.
During this time period, Pakistani immigration authorities blocked the entry of Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ) Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler into the country which was a concerning
development regarding the access to independent coverage and analysis of press freedom in Pakistan.
In addition to physical acts of violence and intimidations, journalists have faced threats, both in person and
online. These threats have been issued by individuals in positions of power which leads to an increased
pressure on the journalists and their media organizations and can lead to self-censorship. The threats and
harassment journalists experience has extended online on social media platforms, where the media has
been subjected to smear campaigns. Trends against the media are often trending on Twitter.
There have also been at least five arrests of journalists. The most high-profile case of a media personnel
arrested is the arrest of the Jang and Geo Media Group Editor in Chief Mir Shakil ur Rehman on March 12,
2020. Rehman was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) irregularities in the purchase of
his residential property 34 years earlier, however it raised concerns about press freedom and appeared to
be an attempt to pressurize the largest media group in the country. Despite numerous local and
international calls for his release, Rehman remains behind bars.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
This already high-risk environment which journalists operate under has been further made difficult by the
policies and rhetoric of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, which in 2019 likened critical
media coverage to treason. While Prime Minister Imran Khan dismissed curbs on press freedom in Pakistan
as a “joke”, the policies and proposals of the government including media courts and social media regulations,
indicate a control over the autonomy of the media.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has on numerous instances provided
“advice” to the media which creates controls on what the media can cover and what could be unacceptable.
During this time period, on numerous occasions, television channels or shows have been removed from air
during interviews with opposition politicians including, former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz.
Between January 2019 and April 2020, there have been proposals to regulate social media content. This led
to various social media companies threatening to leave Pakistan and creating a grim picture for the
opportunity for free expression online.
An environment where journalists are the target of government and other officials’ scorn and are often
threatened for their work — both verbally and physically — creates a bleak picture for press freedom and the
safety of journalists in Pakistan.
As of May 1, over 17,000 cases and over 400 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Pakistan. The media is operating in this new and difficult environment trying to
provide minute by minute updates on the situation in the country as well as internationally while also being exposed to the risk of contracting the virus.
Media organizations need to ensure the safety of staff both working in newsrooms and on assignment from various locations including hospitals, quarantine facilities,
government offices, mosques and other areas where a large number of people may have gathered making it difficult to effectively follow social distancing guidelines.
There has been an alarming number of cases of the coronavirus amongst media workers with at least 38 media workers have tested positive.
This number indicates that media organizations have largely been unable to ensure that staff are provided with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) and have
been unable to communicate the necessity of such measures to staff members who may not be following safety protocols.
Since the spread of the coronavirus in Pakistan, the virus has claimed the life of two journalists. On April 27, a senior journalist and former president of the Associated Press of
Pakistan’s (APP) employees union, Zafar Rasheed Bhatti passed away. Later in the week Muhammad Anwar, crime reporter at Daily Khabrain, died of COVID-19 in Sukkur on
April 30.
According to an Al Jazeera report published on April 19, at least 12 journalists had tested positive for COVID-19 in Pakistan. The report added many journalists have
complained that they don’t have the necessary protective equipment while reporting. Since then more cases have been confirmed.
On April 27, ARY CEO Salman Iqbal said as a precautionary measure, random testing for the coronavirus had been carried out at the media outlet’s Islamabad office in which
eight out of 20 had tested positive while two staffers had shown symptoms. Following this, he said that the Islamabad office was to be closed and all staff would be tested. He
added that the office premises would be sanitized.
A few days later, Iqbal shared another update in which he said 119 tests were conducted of which 55 were negative and 12 were positive. The ARY CEO added that the office
and transport fleet had been disinfected and PPEs had been procured for the staff.
In Peshawar, two brothers who worked as reporters for different news channels, Asif Shehzad of GNN and Wajid Shehzad of Such TV, tested positive. Two journalists in Azad
Jammu and Kashmir also tested positive.
On April 25, the APP office in Islamabad was sealed till April 27 after an employee tested positive, The Nation reported.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has expressed concern over the rising number of cases among media personnel. According to The News, PFUJ has warned
media houses to “immediately put in place measures for the safety and security of working journalists and media workers, otherwise, they will be held responsible for the loss of
lives of journalists due to the pandemic”.
Part I: Media safety during COVID-19 and emerging challenges
Government measures to ensure safety of media
In a statement, issued in March, the PFUJ had demanded safety measures for media workers. On multiple
occasions, the government has said that they will provide media personnel with the necessary PPE.
On April 1, then Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan
said the government would provide journalists visiting quarantine centres and ICUs to report on COVID-19
with kits of protective gear.
According to a Dawn report, Awan said journalists were “playing a front-line role” in the situation and “steps
were being taken to ensure their safety and health”. Further, she added that the government would launch
an app called ‘Care for Media’, which would provide information if someone in the community tested positive
and would also provide them assistance with treatment.
On April 3, APP reported that Prime Minister Imran Khan had formed a five-member committee on measures
to protect the media industry and media workers in light of the situation created by the coronavirus. As per
the report, the committee was formed after the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) submitted a letter
to the premier requesting government support.
However, the rising number of cases among journalists indicates that these pronouncement by government
leaders have not been converted into concrete action or plans for safety of media workers.
There appears to be no clear cut guidelines issued by any media association such as the Pakistan
Broadcasters Association All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors
(CPNE) , Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors that media organizations and workers should follow in
order to ensure their own safety as well as that of others while covering the pandemic.
Both the media organizations and the government should ensure that the media is provided with the
necessary equipment and are following the safety guidelines in place.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
Setting the ground rules for covering the coronavirus
Pakistan confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on February 26. The case was reported in the Sindh province
and was initially confirmed by the provincial health department after which Special Assistant to Prime Minister on
Health Dr Zafar Mirza also confirmed the country’s first two cases.
At this point, however, there appeared to be a lack of guidelines amongst the media about how to cover cases in
terms of how much information to share. A document stating the name as well as other personal details of the
country’s first case were shared by various news channels.
The next day Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, while addressing a press conference, said it was important to
maintain the confidentiality of patients.
Before the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, the country was already dealing with the virus. The first
stage involved managing the return of Pakistanis in China. On February 3, some Pakistanis who were stranded
in China started returning to the country. Students in Wuhan were not repatriated to the country.
The next big challenge that presented itself was managing the return of pilgrims who had travelled to Iran. The
policy to keep the pilgrims in quarantine facilities in the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan in Baluchistan
received criticism and the media covered the conditions of the camps.
According to The Express Tribune, the chief minister of the Baluchistan province said that it was “unfortunate that
some analysts on mainstream media are describing Taftan as the ‘Wuhan’ of Pakistan”. Additionally, the report
added that he said that “anchorpersons, politicians and analysts on TV talk shows were not taking the
coronavirus situation seriously”.
Additionally, both the provincial chief minister and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis
and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari tweeted dismissing a report by The Guardian
on the Taftan quarantine camps.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
Data on COVID-19 cases emerging in Pakistan
One of the challenges while covering COVID-19 in Pakistan has been the data available on cases, deaths and
recoveries. This is a challenge largely because both provincial governments as well as the federal government are
providing information.
Authorities in Sindh have appeared at odds with the federal government and this has been reflected in the data being
shared.
One such instance was seen when nine cases were confirmed in Karachi. The federal government official, Dr Mirza,
said that these cases were contacts of an already confirmed case. Meanwhile, the provincial government said that
eight of the cases had a recent travel history. Dr Mirza later deleted his tweet with the update.
In another instance, various news outlets including Reuters on March 17 reported that Pakistan had confirmed its first
death based on an update on a government web portal. According to The Express Tribune, however, the report of the
death was denied by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar who said the death had not taken place due to the
coronavirus.
The next day a similar confusion emerged in Gilgit Baltistan. According to Dawn.com, shortly after confirming the
death, the GB government backtracked. As per the report, when Dr Mirza clarified the news, he “did not
acknowledge miscommunication on the part of the government and instead put the blame on the media”.
Dr Mirza specifically called out Geo for the news and added: “I request media reporters that in rush to break the news
first, please don’t misreport. Check your facts twice.”
Such discrepancies create a challenge for the media as they piece together contradictory sources of information from
the different government authorities. Further, the backtracking by different government officials makes it difficult to
report. Government officials have also blamed journalists in these situations, as discussed above, which wrongfully
questions the credibility of a news outlet.
Currently, provincial authorities for the various provinces are providing daily updates on cases emerging, deaths as
well as recoveries. In addition, the federal government has set up a website to provide a breakdown of numbers of
cases per province/territory, daily updates in cases etc.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
Spread of fake news/inaccurate information via social media
The spread of inaccurate, unverified and fake news via social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and messaging
platforms such as WhatsApp has created a problem for the mainstream media as it tries to report news accurately. In addition
to covering the virus, an additional role the media is required to play is that of fact checking misinformation and dispelling
rumors.
Recently a fake post using the template of Dawn.com was circulated online claiming that Pakistan’s army chief was “possibly
infected” with the coronavirus and was under self-quarantine. The news website has clarified that it is a doctored post and has
contacted Facebook to remove the post.
There have been a few instances where the mainstream media has picked up news from unverified news sources and
recirculated such misinformation.
DawnNewsTV ran the news that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had passed away due to the coronavirus and based this on
an fake update by the BBC World Service. This, however, turned out to be false. They have since been fined by the media
regulatory authority, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).
Access to cover COVID-19
Some provinces in the country have taken measures that have limited journalists’ access to sources and information in order
to cover the virus.
In the end of March, the Punjab government stopped “unauthorized health officials” from giving media statements. This was in
an effort to counter the spread of fake news and misinformation, according to The News.
In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the administration of Lady Reading Hospital banned media coverage at the hospital
premises after a cameraperson tested positive, Dawn reported on April 23. According to the report, the cameraman was
“reportedly covering Covid-19 patients”.
The provincial government for KP has approved Rs1 million for journalists who die due to the virus, Dawn reported, adding
that the government would bear treatment expenses if a journalist is affected by COVID-19.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
Government rhetoric about media coverage of COVID-19
Prime Minister Imran Khan has held numerous media briefings over the past month in which he discussed various developments
regarding the coronavirus.
In one such briefing on March 24, before asking the prime minister his question, one journalist said that they refrain from asking
tough questions as they are then blacklisted from the next briefing. The journalist’s question was regarding the criticism the
government had received for the way it handled pilgrims arriving from Iran to the border town of Taftan in comparison to the
approach used for Pakistanis in China. In addition to his question, the journalist commented that for the two months since
January, it appeared that the prime minister was “angry at the media” and gave examples of such instances.
In response, the prime minister said that this occasion should be used so that people are informed about the coronavirus and
added that panic should not spread.
Commenting on the media, the prime minister said he challenged the journalist to find an example of a Western democracy which
has the kind of media freedom that Pakistan has. He added that if the type of allegations that are made in Pakistan were made in
Western democracies, libel laws would lead to the closure of newspapers/channels.
This sentiment of avoiding the spread of the panic is one that the prime minister has reiterated on numerous occasions.
Additionally, as discussed earlier, when the government authorities have backtracked on information, they earlier disclosed
themselves, they have urged the media to act responsibly. This places a pressure on media outlets to try and balance their
information with the rhetoric of government officials.
Earlier this month, the SAPM on Information and Broadcasting, Awan said that the information ministry along with the director
general of the Inter-services Public Relations would “coordinate and brief the media on the coronavirus situation”, Dawn.com
reported.
“Media can become the right hand of the information ministry and the ISPR in defeating this pandemic. Together we will ensure
that accurate information is provided to the people,” she was quoted as saying.
While the media benefits from briefings by the prime minister as well as other government officials, the repeated emphasis on
avoiding the spread of panic and working with the state, add a burden on the media to report in a certain way that is acceptable to
the government.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
Economic pressures
Like all businesses and industries, media organisations also have to deal with the economic impact of lockdowns and
other consequences of the coronavirus. The media was already under severe financial crisis for the last two years
that had resulted in layoffs of hundreds of media workers and the pandemic is expected to further exacerbate
problems for them
In a time where media outlets are struggling due to a reduction in ad revenue along with the government’s decision to
stop giving certain media outlets advertisements, the coronavirus adds greatly to the financial struggle of media
houses and a steep fall in advertising revenue will be observed by the media.
Another such area where this economic impact can be seen is in the potential reduction in distribution of newspapers.
A safety alert for newspaper readers has been shared. The advertisement, which began by answering the question of
whether the virus can be transmitted through newspapers with “absolutely not”.
The APNS has asked newspaper distributors and sellers to be “especially mindful of their hygiene during the
distribution progress”.
“Additionally, newspaper establishments have implemented strict sanitisation measures,” reads the advertisement.
They added that as an extra precaution, readers can wash their hands for 20 seconds after reading the newspaper.
While APNS has provided the basic policies such as ensuring hygiene of distributors and suggesting readers wash
their hands, this may not be effective in allaying the fears of readers who could choose to cancel their papers. APNS
should issue a detailed guideline about the measures that have been put in place to ensure hygiene at distribution
facilities, measures taken to ensure safe delivery as well as what steps readers should be taking when receiving the
paper.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
Recommendations for media safety during COVID-19:
In order to minimize the risk to media professionals as they work during the spread of the
coronavirus and in order to provide media outlets an avenue for survival in these
challenging times, PPF recommends the following:
Media bodies should develop a standard operating procedure for how to cover the
coronavirus safely and monitor their implementation by their member organizations.
The government should assist media houses and ensure that media workers who are
often on the frontline are provided with the safety measures needed as well as the cost
of treatment.
All levels of government recognize the need for free flow of information during this time
and respect the right to freedom of expression.
Release journalists who have been arrested for their work.
Media houses ensure all staff are provided with the necessary PPE and these safety
measures are enforced for their safety as well as those with whom they interact.
Media houses should provide health insurance to their staff particularly those who are at
a greater risk of exposure.
Media houses should offer counselling services for staff covering the pandemic.
Provide job security to media workers while adapting to the changing landscape such as
work from home.
Freelancers, fixers and stringers should be provided with the necessary protection.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
Part II: Media safety and press freedom b/ween January 2019- April 2020
Attacks on the media
Media personnel in Pakistan are often subjected to physical attacks for their work. In the past year,
journalists have been killed for their work. They have also been made the target of assault and
manhandling. Apart from the physical and emotional trauma that such attacks cause, they serve as a
way to intimidate journalists and further shrink the space of critical coverage.
In this time period, PPF had documented at least two murders of journalists due to their work, 16
instances of physical assault of media persons, 17 incidents where they were threatened or harassed,
one case of abduction and one case of a journalist going missing. One journalist’s residence was raided
while in one instance the offices of a publishing house were also raided. There was also an incident
where protests were staged against a media house.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Journalists killed
From January 2019- April 2020, PPF has documented two instances where journalists appeared to have been killed due to their work.
On August 31, 92 News correspondent Mirza Waseem Baig was shot dead in Gujrat in Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab.
According to the news channel, “unknown assailants” opened fire on him in front of his house and he suffered six bullet injuries. He was
shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Provincial Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had taken notice of the murder and sought a report from the Gujrat District Police Officer.
While it is still not conclusive to say that Baig was killed due to his work, various individuals who knew Baig as well as those
investigating his death, have said that it was due to the nature of his reporting.
Before he was killed, Baig had been reporting on local gangs in the Sarai-e-Alamgir town in Gujrat.
A police officer in charge of the investigation into Baig’s death, Ameer Abbas, told PPF that the journalist was killed as he was covering
the activities of a criminal gang specializing in extortion. Abbas said that the slain journalist had done several reports about them that
“annoyed them” and he had also informed the police about who was involved in the gang, so they killed him and fled from the scene.
Additionally, the former president of the Gujrat Press Club and a senior journalist in Gujrat said that the reason behind Baig’s murder
was his coverage of the criminal gang.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Baig’s daughter Ghania Malik told PPF that in July 2019, her father had told her: “My life is in danger.”
Recalling his death, she said that they were all home, when her father went outside to park a car and they suddenly heard the sound of firing.
They ran outside and saw three people escaping from the site of the incident, with her father lying on the ground. She said that a police van was
approximately one kilometre away from their house but reached the scene 45 minutes later.
Malik said that she was not completely satisfied with the investigation into her father’s murder.
Baig’s wife, Safia Waseem, also confirmed the same to Reporters Without Borders. She said that her family and herself had been forced to move
to a safer location after receiving threats in the wake of Baig’s murder.
The second case is the murder of Aziz Memon, a journalist associated with KTN news channel and Sindhi language daily Kawish, in February of
2020..
Memon’s body was found in a water channel in Mehrabpur in Naushahro Firoze district in Sindh on February 16, 2020. Quoting sources, daily
Dawn reported that Memon had asked a cameraman he worked with to drop him at a location where he was to attend a ceremony. Villagers had
later spotted his body in the canal.
According to the report, the journalist had “often received threats of dire consequences during his 30-year-long career”. One such threat was from
a Member of the National Assembly, after which he left his hometown and moved to Islamabad for a while, the report said.
According to reports about a year before his death, the journalist had released a video in which he said that officials from the ruling party in Sindh
province, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), along with local police had threatened him for his reporting. Memon’s report had included the allegation
that people were paid to attend the PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s train march.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
In the wake of Memon’s death, federal minister Fawad Chaudhry had requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan to
“take notice of the mysterious death” of the journalist.
Meanwhile, Bilawal had also condemned the murder and added that journalists should work with their allies, Dawn
reported.
Following Memon’s death, a joint investigation team (JIT) was set up by the provincial government.
Earlier this month, Memon’s DNA report was released, which according to Dawn, had “found traces of some other
human DNA”. A meeting of the JIT, however, said that this did not prove that he was murdered.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Acquittal of suspects in the Daniel Pearl murder case
On April 2, 2020, the Sindh High Court (SHC) overturned the death penalty handed to the main accused, Ahmed
Omar Saeed Sheikh, in the Daniel Pearl murder case. The high court also set aside the life terms handed down to
three co-accused, Dawn reported.
Pearl was an American journalist with The Wall Street Journal who was kidnapped and beheaded in Karachi,
Pakistan in 2002.
The United States condemned the decision. In a tweet, Chief US diplomat for South Asian affairs, Alice Wells, said
that overturning the conviction of those responsible for Pearl’s murder was “an affront to victims of terrorism
everywhere”. They also welcomed Pakistan’s decision to appeal the verdict.
A day after the acquittal, all the accused in the case were rearrested.
On April 22, the Sindh government challenged the SHC’s decision in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Physical assault of media workers
Media personnel are routinely subjected to physical assault in Pakistan. PPF has documented at least 16 instances of physical
assault or manhandling of journalists between January 2019 and April 2020.
Some of these are discussed below and show that journalists are targeted by elected government officials, political party
workers, lawyers and other individuals who are in a position of authority.
On March 20, 2019, Shiraz Gardezi, a cameraperson for Geo News, was assaulted by supporters of the opposition political
party, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office in Islamabad. Gardezi told PPF that
he was taking pictures of the NAB building when he was suddenly slapped by a PPP party worker and then a group of workers
started to beat him up for no reason. According to Dawn, the clashes between the political party workers and the police took
place outside the NAB office where former president Asif Ali Zardari and PPP co-chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had been
called in for questioning.
On April 27, Shaukat Korai, reporter for News One TV was assaulted by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officers on the
premises of the Sindh High Court (SHC) in Karachi. Korai was at the court for routine coverage when CTD officers brought some
suspects to Anti-Terrorism Court administrative judge Justice Abdul Malik. Korai was making a video of the suspects and a CTD
officer told him to delete the footage, saying that he was not permitted to make the video. Korai replied that the SHC allows
journalists to cover developments on the court premises. Later, his mobile phone was snatched by CTD officers and he was
thrashed. The issue was settled with the intervention of the registrar and after CTD personnel apologized verbally.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
On June 21, a leader of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Sindh, Masoor Siyal, physically attacked President of the Karachi Press Club Imtiaz Khan
Faran during the taping of a talk show. Video footage of the incident shows Siyal physically attacking Khan after which the two engaged in a physical
altercation.
Following the incident, PTI issued a show cause notice to Siyal. Additionally, the Karachi and Lahore press clubs placed a temporary ban on the entry
of PTI leaders, Dawn reported.
Siyal is not the only PTI leader who has been accused of assaulting a journalist. During the January 2019 to April 2020, Federal Minister for Science
and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has been accused of physical altercations with two anchorpersons.
In July 2019, journalist Sami Ibrahim had submitted a complaint with police that Chaudhry slapped and cursed at him without provocation, Dawn
reported. In response to the allegation, the federal minister had said that it should not be treated as “clash between two institutions but as a conflict
between two individuals,” the report added.
Chaudhry was once again in the headlines in 2020, this time for a scuffle with anchorperson Mubashir Luqman.
According to Dawn, the minister admitted that the scuffle had taken place. The report added that the altercation was allegedly due to videos uploaded
on YouTube in which Luqman and another anchorperson discussed TikTok stars and videos allegedly involving Chauhdry and the Punjab information
minister.
On July 23, two reporters and a cameraman — Muhammad Tayyab of Channel 41, Ali Raza of Channel 24 and Waqas Ahmed of Channel 24 — were
beaten up by lawyers of the Supreme Bar Council, including Bar Secretary Shahid Munir in Faisalabad. The journalists were interviewing the
Faisalabad Superintendent of Police Muaz Zafar at his office. As they stepped out of the office, a group of lawyers surrounded them and started hitting
them. Raza was severely injured in the incident while Tayyab and Ahmed were taken to an undisclosed location where they were further physically
assaulted, until eventually being rescued by the media and the police.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
On February 8, 2020, a reporter with Vsh News Sajjad Noor and cameraperson Rehan Bizenjo suffered minor injuries in a knife attack in
Pasni of the Balochistan province.
Talking to the PPF, Noor who is also the Bureau Chief of an Urdu newspaper Daily Intikhab and president of the Pasni Press Club said that
the man who attacked them, Rahim Jan, is an employee of the Pasni Fish Harbour Authority (PFHA).
Noor believed that they were attacked by the PFHA because they ran an investigative story that it received Rs800 million from Japan to
invest in the authority, but it misappropriated the funds. He added that Jan also gave them life threats.
He added that the incident took place when Bizenjo and himself were buying goods at a bakery.
Noor lamented that many journalists are attacked when they publish investigative pieces, but no action is taken against the culprits.
A FIR was registered against Jan at the Pasni police station. On February 9 he was arrested.
Pasni police station Sub-Inspector Abid Baloch confirmed the arrest of Jan.
“According to an initial probe, Rahim Jan is a local and a drug addict. He is not an employee of PFHA. At present, he is in a judicial lock-up
and further investigation in being carried out,” he stated.
Hazara Democratic Party Chairman Abdul Khaliq, Hazara Public Accounts Committee Chairman Akhtar Hussain, opposition leader Malik
Sikander, Advocate Senator Naseebullah, Speaker Balochistan Mir Abdul Qadoos Bizenjo also condemned the incident.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Journalists threatened and harassed
A way to intimidate and silence journalists is to threaten them. These journalists operate in a constant state of fear. In other instances, while they may not be issued a verbal
threat, journalists are harassed both online and in person. Between January 2019 and April 2020, PPF has recorded at least 17 instances where media persons were
threatened or harassed due to their work.
Some of these are discussed below:
On June 12, 2019, senior Dawn correspondent, Baqir Sajjad said that he was “encountered by hostile low-level intel operatives” after a meeting with diplomats from the
British High Commission.
“The guys wanted to take me along afterwards, I resisted. One of them in fact pulled out keys from my car’s ignition,” he wrote in a post on Twitter.
Amnesty International South Asia had condemned the incident and said: “Journalism is not a crime, and journalists should not be treated like criminals. Pakistani journalists
must be allowed to do their work freely and without fear. The threats, intimidation and violence against journalists must stop.”
Journalists have also been subjected to threats and harassment online such as the threats against anchorperson Gharida Farooqi (See section on online threats to
journalists for details).
Instances of threats against journalists in 2019 included threats from police officials, medical staff, terrorist outfits as well as in some instances, by unidentified individuals.
In a similar vein, the first four months of 2020 have seen numerous reported incidents of journalists being threatened.
A reporter of an internet news agency based in Peshawar, Tribal News Network, Mehrab Shah Afridi received threatening phone calls by an unknown individual for his
reports on social media in his hometown of Landi Kotal.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
As per reports, Afridi covered a sit-in where ethnic rights group Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader and Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Ali Wazir
addressed the crowd. As soon as Afridi uploaded the video of the speech on social media, he received a first phone call from Malaysia, warning him of dire
consequences.
Speaking to PPF, Afridi said that he had received five phone calls from a number and was asked why he had uploaded the video of Wazir.
“I also received death threats,” he said, adding that the caller had used abusive language against him. Afridi registered a first information report (FIR) against the
caller at the Landi Kotal police station.
A Station House Office (SHO) at the station, Amjad Khan, said that the case was being investigated and the phone number has been sent to Peshawar, in order to
trace the caller.
On April 28, Head Morer of Landi Kotal station, Ayaz told PPF that they had traced that the call was coming from Malaysia but couldn’t investigate further about who
was threatening Afridi and why, due to a lack of resources. They said that for further investigation, the journalist should contact the Federal Investigation Agency
(FIA).
On February 11, Geo News reporter Asif Ali Bhatti received threatening calls from Afghanistan. This was condemned by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists
(PFUJ) and the National Press Club. He again received death threats in March. In the threats, Bhatti was asked to stop writing reports against the state and
religious scholars, otherwise his family would be killed. He added that he was also being traced and was told that he is wajib-ul-qatal (deserving of death).
Speaking to PPF, PFUJ President Shezada Zulfikhar condemned the case and said that Bhatti had been receiving threats for four to five months and no one was
taking action. He said that due to this, Bhatti and his family had shifted to Lahore, but then his family was being threatened so he came back to Islamabad.
Talking to the PPF, Geo Director News Rana Jawad, said that Bhatti receives threats due to his columns. He said that the case has been reported and they are
trying to determine who is issuing these threats. He said that they have asked the employee to take a leave or given him the option to work from another station
besides Islamabad. Jawad added that they had discussed the case with some religious parties but did not specify with whom.
Meanwhile, National Press Club President Shakeel Qarar said that there was no verification that Bhatti was receiving threats.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Raiding journalists’ residences
During 2019, there was one instance where a journalist’s residence was raided.
On May 23, police led by Station House Officer Sub-Inspector Ahsan Kiyani of the Banni police station in Rawalpindi raided the house of a staff
reporter for the daily Jang, Shahid Sultan. According to The News, Sultan’s house was raided at 2:30am and the police “took the whole family
hostage, threatened and humiliated them at gun point”.
As per the report, the raiding party realised they made a mistake and left without an apology.
After the incident, the Rawalpindi Police Chief Faisal Rana had suspended two policemen and ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Publisher raided
On January 6, 2020, Pakistani writer Mohammed Hanif said that “some people claiming to be from the ISI” had “barged into” theoffices of his Urdu
publisher Maktaba Daniyal and confiscated copies of the Urdu translation for his book, A Case of Exploding Mangoes. In a second tweet, Hanif added
that a week before this incident they had received a defamation notice from former military dictator General Ziaul Haq’s son.
The raid was “deplored” by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Dawn reported.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Threating protests against media house
During 2019, there was one incident where intimidating and threatening protests were held outside the office of a media outlet. On December 2, dozens of unidentified
individuals protested outside the Dawn offices in Islamabad. The protests came after a publication of a news report in which the paper had discussed the ethnicity of the
individual behind the London Bridge attack.
“The charged mob, carrying banners and chanting slogans against the newspaper, remained outside the office building for nearly three hours, besieging the premises and
making the staffers hostage,” Dawn reported.
Just days later, once again on December 6, protesters surrounded the offices in Islamabad.
The International Press Institute (IPI) issued a statement on the incident, in which they expressed concern over the deaths threats against Dawn editor Zaffar Abbas and Dawn
CEO Hamid Haroon.
Journalists abducted
In November, a reporter for Ary News TV channel, Rana Ghulam Mustafa, and his cameraman were locked in an office and assaulted by rice mill owners in Daska, Punjab,
The Nation reported.
As per the FIR, the crew were at the mills to get the millers version on the shortage of flour in the area. However, the mill owner “became infuriated” seeing them and calling
some employees, locked them. According to The Nation, the reporter and cameraman were held for an hour and threatened with “dire consequences”. Their camera and
mobile phones were also broken.
The media personnel were later rescued by the police, the report added. Speaking to PPF, Mustafa said that they asked the rice mill staff for an apology and the issue was
resolved between the concerned parties. This was reiterated by the Daska police station and Daska Press Club.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Arrests and imprisonment of media personnel
In the past year, the arrest of media personnel has been used as a way to intimidate them and to exert the writ of the state. PPF has documented at least five
arrests of journalists during the time period covered in this report. Additionally, one journalist was sent to prison and then released and Editor-in-Chief of the
Jang Geo Media Group, Mir Shakilur Rahman was arrested raising concern for press freedom.
On February 9, 2019, senior Lahore based journalist, social media activists and anchor of the show Dada Pota on Din News, Rizwan Razi, was arrested by the
Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime cell for “allegedly uploading defamatory and obnoxious posts against the judiciary, government institutions and
intelligence agencies,” Dawn reported.
According to a FIR, an inquiry was initiated against Razi for “uploading defamatory and obnoxious posts through a social media account of Twitter against the
judiciary, government institutions and intelligence agencies”.
Following Razi’s arrest, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt told Pakistan Press Foundation that they had called on government
and law enforcement agencies to immediately look into the matter and release Razi, otherwise they would hold countrywide protests.
On February 10, Razi was released on bail.
On May 27, a reporter for Khyber News television channel, Gohar Wazir, was arrested for interviewing Member of the National Assembly Mohsin Dawar. Wazir
was amongst at least 22 individuals who were detained in Bannu in a police and administration operation after workers of the ethnic rights movement Pashtun
Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) and Awami National Party (ANP) demonstrated against an incident in North Waziristan, Dawn reported.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Following Wazir’s detention, the Committee to Protect Journalists had called for his immediate release.
Wazir was released on May 29 after confirming that he was covering the protest as a journalist and was not amongst the protestors.
While in some cases journalists were temporarily detained or arrested and granted bail, in the case Nasrullah Chaudhry, a journalist was awarded a
five-year long imprisonment sentence.
On December 30, 2019, he was given five-years of imprisonment in a “case pertaining to possessing literature against the state and spreading
religious hatred,” Dawn reported.
Chaudhry, a district news desk editor at the Urdu language daily Nai Baat, was arrested in Karachi on November 11, 2018 for allegedly carrying
journals and booklets about Afghan Jihad and the Punjabi Taliban.
In April 2020, however, the Sindh High Court acquitted Chaudhry and ordered his release, Samaa reported.
In January of this year, Dawn reported that a journalist who has been associated with Channel Five and daily newspaper Khabrain, was arrested by
the FIA and an FIR was registered against him
Dawn.com quoted the FIR as stating: “It had been learnt during scrutiny of social that anti-state and defamatory material against the public
functionaries and state departments is being uploaded through a Facebook ID”.
A day after his arrest, the FIA was granted physical remand of Wahid. On January 29, a court in Lahore rejected his plea for bail.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Mir Shakilur Rahman arrested
Perhaps the most high profile case of a media personnel arrested in the past year was the arrest of the Jang and Geo Media Group Editor in Chief Mir
Shakilur Rehman on March 12, 2020. Rehman was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in connection with a purchase of a 54-kanal piece of
land, Dawn reported.
In a statement shared by Geo, the spokesperson for the media group said that prior to Rehman’s arrest, NAB had sent “our reporters, producers and editors
— directly and indirectly — over a dozen notices, threatening a shutdown of our channels (via PEMRA) due to our reporting and our programmes on NAB.”
While Rehman’s arrest was in relation to a property case, it raised concern about press freedom in Pakistan and was seen as an attempt to silence the
largest media network in the country.
Shortly after a government press conference on Rehman’s arrest, cable operators received instructions to either stop the broadcast of Geo TV or to shift it to
last numbers. This is a tactic that has been used against Geo TV previously as well and works to reduce accessibility of the channel, creating financial
pressures for the media outlet.
Despite various calls for his release from international as well as local bodies, politicians and activists, Rehman remains in custody, over a month after his
arrest. On April 28, he was sent to jail on judicial remand.
Asia Program Coordinator of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) denied entry into Pakistan
In October 2019, CPJ Asia program coordinator Steven Butler was denied entry by Pakistan immigration authorities at the Lahore airport, who according to
the press freedom advocacy organisation, cited a blacklist by the interior ministry as the reason.
According to CPJ, the airport authorities confiscated Butler’s passport and he was forced onto a flight to Doha, from where he was placed on a flight to
Washington DC.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Freedom of expression online and social media restrictions
While social media provides a platform for expression that extends beyond the mainstream media, it has also come under the increased scrutiny of
government authorities and become a platform to threaten journalists. In Pakistan, the state has attempted to set rules and regulations for social
media that limit the space for free expression.
In addition to this, according to a transparency report, the highest number of requests for content restriction on Facebook came from Pakistan
between January-July 2019, Dawn reported.
Government policy to control social media
In February 2020, the government approved rules to regulate social media in Pakistan. According to Dawn, under the rules, social media companies
“will be obliged to disclose any information or data to a designated agency, when sought, and failure to abide by any of the provision will entail a fine
of up to Rs500 million”.
The policy received backlash after which it was reported that Prime Minister Imran Khan would take all stakeholders on board before implementing
the rules. Petitions against the policy were also submitted in courts including the Islamabad High Court and the Lahore High Court.
In response to the regulations, the social media companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter threatened to leave the country, New York
Times reported.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
On February 28, a committee was formed to review the rules. As of March, the implementation of the Citizens
Protection(Against Online Harm) Rules 2020 had been suspended.
These rules and their approval by the government are likely to have a chilling effect on free expression on social
media platforms as users fear sharing of their information and data. It is a drastic step taken by the government, in
order to limit the space available online to share opinions. In addition to potentially reducing access to social
media platforms in Pakistan, it is likely to lead to growing self-censorship online.
It is concerning that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government is pushing for rules that undermine free
expression online.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in 2019, Pakistan’s internet freedom ranking has
declined due to “problematic cybercrime law, internet shutdowns, and cyber-attacks against political dissidents,
justified on the grounds of national security”.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Online threats to journalists
Journalists are often the target of online smear campaigns and are subjected to threats on social media platforms. These work to discredit
journalists and often create a threat to their lives.
On March 22, 2019, the Coalition For Women In Journalism expressed alarm about a “persistent online campaign” against anchorperson
Gharidah Farooqi, The Nation reported.
According to the report, Faroqi had received abuse for a tweet about the shooter in the New Zealand Christchurch attack.
Speaking to Dawn, Farooqi said first she was bullied online but this eventually “turned serious”.
“I faced immense sexual harassment, curses, crude allegations and character assassination, but probably the worst was that I was threatened
with violence and murder.”
In another instance of online threats, in April 2019, it was reported that smear campaigns were being used against numerous journalists in the
country.
According to a Dawn report, Marvi Sirmed, Mubashir Zaidi and Umar Cheema were targeted in “malicious hashtag campaigns” on Twitter.
Additionally, seven other journalists were also “subjected to abuse and defamatory content”.
Earlier this year, in February, the Coalition For Women In Journalism condemned the targeting of female journalists ahead of the annual women’s
day march, the Aurat March. In a statement, they said that “several women journalists became a target of extreme trolling and harassment, both
offline and online”.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Government rhetoric on press freedom
On a visit to the United States in July, Prime Minister Imran Khan was asked about press freedom in Pakistan. According to a Dawn report, the prime minister
said that it was a joke to talk about curbs on press freedom in the country.
While the prime minister believed that curbs on press freedom in Pakistan are a joke, certain decisions and policies by his government have reduced the space
for free expression.
Critical media coverage linked to treason
In July 2019, the ruling PTI had linked critical media coverage to treason. According to Geo, after sharing the initial tweet, the hashtag #JournalismNotAgenda
was also shared with multiple tweets.
Government plan to form media courts
In September 2019, the federal cabinet approved a plan to form media courts. This plan raised alarm about press freedom and received criticism. According to
Dawn, the courts are a way to “seek speedy disposal of media-related cases”.
The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) said: “The media is already braving strong pressures in the of press advice and measures of intimidation from
ruling quarters which tantamount to undeclared censorship – the proposed media courts would be an added and institutionalized lever for arm-twisting of the
media and [the measure] reflects the mindset of the present center of power that intends to curb voices of dissent by all means.
CPJ said that they were deeply concerned by the plan.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
PEMRA and regulation of media content
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) is the regulatory body for electronic media in Pakistan. Between January
2019 and April 2020, the country has seen various proposals and steps that increase the authority of the regulatory body.
Pemra has also issued show-cause notices to media channels and anchor persons and offered advice to the media on what/how they
should be covering in their broadcasts.
PEMRA bans programs, issues show cause notice
On January 1, PEMRA imposed a 30-day ban on the broadcast of a programs by Orya Maqbool Jan on Neo TV titled Harf-i-Raz, Dawn
reported.
On January 30, the regulatory body banned anchor Dr Danish from appearing on any television channel for 30 days for “levelling false
and unfounded allegations” against senior officials of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited on a talk show of his, Dawn
reported.
In April, PEMRA issued a show-cause notice to ARY News and Bol News for news regarding a cabinet reshuffle, according to a Daily
Times report.
On May 24, News One was issued a show cause notice for news regarding National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Javed Iqbal.
According to a Dawn report, the show cause notice was issued for “defamatory” news items and clips in which Iqbal was shown
conversing with a woman.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
In October, an analyst, Hafeezullah Niazi was banned from appearing on television for 30 days for allegedly defamatory remarks against a federal
minister Azam Swati, Dawn reported.
2020 has also seen PEMRA block the broadcast of shows. ARY News anchor Kashif Abbasi was banned for 60 days after a federal minister pulled out
a boot (presumably as a symbol of the military) and placed it on the table during a broadcast of Abbasi’s show. According to The News, Abbasi was
banned for “acting unprofessionally” and “not intervening” when the Faisal Vawda had placed the boot on the table.
In February, PEMRA fined Channel 92 Rs1 million for airing defamatory content against the prime minister’s special assistant Zulikfar Bukari in October
of the previous year, Dawn reported.
Advice offered by PEMRA
As the electronic media regulatory authority, PEMRA has on multiple occasions during the past year, offered advice to media channels. This advice
creates a guideline on what the channels are permitted to cover and what they should, according to PEMRA, avoid covering.
Below some such instances of advice offered by the regulatory body are discussed:
In June 2019, Pemra advised television channels not to “demean individuals representing various political parties and law enforcement agencies
through caricatures, animated characters, photo-shopped images and funny memes,” according to Dawn.
In its report, Dawn added: “Although the main sufferers of such portrayal in the electronic media are the PPP and the PML-N, these parties maintain
that such advisories should not be used to muzzle the media.”
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
In October, PEMRA asked TV channels not to invite a former senator from the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party, Hafiz
Hamdullah as a guest, Geo reported. The PEMRA notification stated that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had
cancelled Hamdullah’s citizenship. A few days later, this decision was suspended by the IHC.
The same month, PEMRA imposed a ban on coverage of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s press conference, according to the Pakistan
Media Watch. The Peshawar High Court then ruled that this was illegal.
Also in October, PEMRA banned TV anchors from giving their opinion during talk shows and asked them to limit their role to that of
moderators, according to a Dawn report. As per the report, PEMRA said that anchors hosting shows regularly should “not appear as experts”
in shows other than their own.
This directive was put on hold by the Lahore High Court, The Express Tribune reported.
In April, Pemra said that television channels should seek clearance from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) before inviting retired
military officers on news and current affairs programmes, Dawn reported.
In an advisory regarding the annual Women’s Day march, the Aurat March held on March 8, 2020, PEMRA “warned TV channels against
airing “unethical slogans, play cards with objectionable content,” Dawn reported.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
PEMRA proposal to regulate online content
In January 2020, PEMRA proposed regulations of web TV and over-the-top (OTT) content services. According to Dawn, 19 organisations and 36 prominent
individuals rejected this proposal.
Disruption of transmission
During the year, there have also been numerous instances where TV channels and programs have been taken off air without a proper explanation. This
removal of programming has been seen during media coverage of opposition politicians. A reason for these steps, however, has not been clearly provided,
which raises questions about who is controlling media content and deciding what content is acceptable to be aired and what isn’t.
On July 2, 2019, an interview with former president Asif Ali Zardari being aired on Geo News was pulled shortly after starting, Dawn reported.
On July 7, PEMRA issued a notice to 21 television for what was reported to be the “unedited live telecast” of vice president of opposition party PML-N, Maryam
Nawaz, in which she said that an accountability court judge had been pressurised to convict her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in a corruption
reference, Dawn reported.
A day later, three news channels — Abbtakk News, 24 News HD and Capital TV — were taken off the air after they screened a press conference by Nawaz,
Dawn reported. According to CPJ, Capital TV had shared a notice which stated that the transmission had been disrupted by PEMRA. The regulatory authority,
however, did not issue a statement about the matter.
On July 9 it was reported that the federal cabinet led by Prime Minister Imran Khan had “decided to block media coverage and interviews of politicians who are
convicts or under-trial prisoners”. Additionally, PEMRA was directed to discourage such content from airing
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Just a few days later, on July 12, an interview with Nawaz was taken off air, Dawn reported quoting a tweet by the host of the show on Hum News, Nadeem Malik.
In what proved to be a month of many disruptions of news broadcasts, Geo News was “forced off the air or had its channel number abruptly changed in many parts of the
country,” CPJ wrote in an update on the development. According to the advocacy group, the move had come hours before Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to
Washington DC.
Defamation cases against journalists
PPF documented at least three cases of defamation suits filed against media persons between January 2019 and April 2020.
On August 4, 2019, a court in Islamabad issued a notice to anchorperson Najam Sethi in a defamation suit that Prime Minister Imran Khan had filed against Sethi for
passing derogatory remarks against him(Khan), Dawn reported.
Just days after this, CPJ quoting Sethi, said that on August 6, Channel 24 HD cancelled the Najam Sethi Show “after the broadcaster’s management received a phone
call from an unidentified individual demanding the show be dropped”.
On December 6, The News reported that a judge in Karachi issued non-bailable arrest warrants for four people for “defaming the JS Bank through a concerted fake
propaganda campaign and not appearing before the court”. The four included an anchor and owner of a private television channel.
On January 25 of this year, PTI stalwart Jahangir Tareen sent defamation notices to anchorpersons Shahzeb Khanzada of Geo News and Waseem Badami of ARY News
Rs1 billion each. According to Dawn, the defamation notices were for making “false imputations in their news programmes that have or are likely to cause serious harm
and injury to his reputation”. The PTI leader demanded that the two “withdraw their defamatory imputations, tender a proper public apology in their respective programmes
as well as publish a contradiction of the said defamatory statements(s)”. Khanzada said that he stood by his show, Dawn reported.
Media Safety and Press Freedom in Pakistan 2019-2020
Media Safety and Press Freedom in
Pakistan 2019-2020
Economic pressures on media outlets and job security of staff
Restricting advertising for media houses
An effective way to silence a media outlet is to financially cripple it. This is an approach the government has used against certain media outlets
such as Dawn and Geo, which are considered to be outlets critical of the current government.
In May 2019, the federal government imposed a ban on advertisements to the
Dawn Media Group, a move which was criticized by various advocacy groups. The CPNE had expressed concern and called it a “move against
freedom of expression”.
This year once again, the same strategy was used by the federal government as well as PTI led governments in the provinces of Punjab and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The APNS said that the move to stop ads to the Dawn and Jang media groups is a “violation of the principles of press
freedom”, Dawn reported.
The Dawn media group has also challenged this move by the government in the Sindh High Court.
Cartoonist fired
In September 2019, a cartoonist for the newspaper The Nation was informed by the paper’s management that they would no longer be printing
his cartoons. According to RFE/RL’s Gandhara, the move came after he drew a sketch of Prime Minister Imran Khan which received criticism
from some government officials.
Closure of media outlets
The last year has seen at least three media outlets in Pakistan close their doors.
In July 2019, The Herald, a monthly politics and current affairs magazine under the Dawn Media group, published its
final issue before suspending publication. In the final issue, they wrote: “In the end, we were about 20 issues shy of
reaching 600. The Herald, which published its first issue in January 1970, has suspended its publication with this
issue, thus bringing to an end an illustrious career spent covering the biggest stories in Pakistan. Oftentimes the
Herald was the only publication to cover issues others dare not or care not to.”
In December 2019, another monthly magazine, Newsline, also stopped publication.
In April 2020, business tycoon Malik Riaz had closed Aap News over “unavoidable legal and technical reasons,”
Dawn reported.
The Pakistani Constitution 1973 guarantees freedom of press, freedom of expression and the basic premise for media freedom. While emphasizing the state’s allegiance to Islam, the constitution underlines the key civil rights inherent in a democracy and states that citizens:
Shall be guaranteed fundamental rights, including equality of status, of opportunity and before law, social, economic and political justice, and freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship and association, subject to law and public morality. The root for the article 19 freedom of expression traced from South Asia when any body was directly sentenced to death if they uttered a single word against the government.
The media in Pakistan dates back to pre-partition years of British India, where a number of newspapers were established to promote a communalistic or partition agenda. The newspaper Dawn, founded by Quaid –E-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and first published in 1941, was dedicated to promoting for an independent Pakistan. The conservative newspaper, Nawa-i-Waqt, established in 1940 was the mouthpiece of the Muslim elites who were among the strongest supporters for an independent Pakistan.
In a sense, Pakistani print media came into existence with a mission to promulgate the idea of Pakistan, which was seen as the best national option for the Muslim minority in British India and as a form of self-defense against suppression from the Hindu majority.
Media laws
There are a number of legislative and regulatory mechanisms that directly and indirectly affect the media. Besides the Press and Publication Ordinance (PPO) mentioned, these laws include the Printing Presses and Publications Ordinance 1988, the Freedom of Information Ordinance of 2002, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) of 2002, the Defamation Ordinance of 2002, the Contempt of Court Ordinance of 2003, the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance 2003, the Press Council Ordinance 2002, the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan Ordinance 2005 and lastly the Access to Information Ordinance of 2006. Also there were attempts in 2006 for further legislation ostensibly “to streamline registration of newspapers, periodicals, news and advertising agencies and authentication of circulation figures of newspapers and periodicals (PAPRA).”
The liberalization of the electronic media in 2002 was coupled to a bulk of regulations. The opening of the media market led to the mushrooming of satellite channels in Pakistan. Many operators started satellite and/or cable TV outlets without any supervision by the authorities. The government felt that it was losing millions of rupees by not ‘regulating’ the mushrooming cable TV business.
Another consequence of the 2002 regulations was that most of these were hurriedly enacted by President General Pervaiz Musharraf before the new government took office. Most of the new laws that were anti-democratic and were not intended to promote public activism but to increase his control of the public. Many media activists felt that the new regulations were opaque and had been subject to interpretation by the courts which would have provided media practitioners with clearer guidelines.
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA, formerly RAMBO – Regulatory Authority for Media and Broadcast Organizations) was formed in 2002 to “facilitate and promote a free, fair and independent electronic media”, including opening the broadcasting market in Pakistan. By the end of 2009 PEMRA had:
issued 78 satellite TV licenses;
issued “landing rights” to 28 TV channels operating from abroad, with more under consideration;
issued licenses for 129 FM radio stations, including 18 non-commercial licenses to leading universities offering courses mass communication and six licenses in Azad Jammu and Kashmir;
registered 2,346 cable TV systems serving an estimated 8 million households; and
Issued six MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service), two Internet protocol TV (IPTV), and two mobile TV licenses, with more under consideration.
PEMRA is also involved in media censorship and occasionally halts broadcasts and closes media outlets. Publication or broadcast of “anything which defames or brings into ridicule the head of state, or members of the armed forces, or executive, legislative or judicial organs of the state,” as well as any broadcasts deemed to be “false or baseless” can bring jail terms of up to three years, fines of up to 10 million rupees (US$165,000), and license cancellation. In practice, these rules and regulations are not enforced.
In November 2011, Pakistani cable television operators blocked the BBC World News TV channel after it broadcast a documentary, entitled Secret Pakistan. However, Pakistanis with a dish receiver can still watch it and can continue to access its website and web stream. Dr. Moeed Pirzada of PTV stated that it was hypocritical of the foreign media to label it as ‘suppression of the media’ when the United States continues to ban Al Jazeera English and no cable operator in the US would carry the channel. He also stated that even ‘democratic’ and ‘liberal’ Indians refuse to carry a single Pakistani news channel on their cable or any Pakistani op-ed writers in their newspapers. The Media in Pakistan provides information on television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines and Online in Pakistan. Pakistan has a vibrant media landscape; among the most dynamic in South Asia. Majority of media in Pakistan is privately owned. Pakistan has around 300 privately owned daily newspapers. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (formerly the Federal Bureau of Statistics), they had a combined daily sale of 6.1 million copies in 2009. Television is the main source of news and information for people in Pakistan’s towns, cities and large areas of the countryside. Marketing research company Gallup Pakistan, estimated there were 86 million TV viewers in Pakistan in 2009.To a large extent the media enjoys freedom of expression in spite of political pressure and direct bans sometimes administered by political stake holders.[2] Political pressure on media is mostly done indirectly. One tool widely used by the government is to cut off ‘unfriendly’ media from governmental advertising. Using draconian laws the government has also banned or officially silenced popular television channels. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has been used to silence the broadcast media by either suspending licenses or by simply threatening to do so. In addition, media is also threatened by non-state actors involved in the current conflict.[2] Security situation of the journalist has improved and the number of journalist killed in Pakistan has also declined considerably. However, the press freedom in Pakistan continues to decline.
In its 2018 Press Freedom Index, Reporters without borders ranked Pakistan number 139 out of 180 countries based on freedom of the press. Recent report from Reporters without borders implies considerable improvement in the freedom of press compared to the preceding years.

Prior to 2002, News Agencies in Pakistan were completely unregulated. Established under the Press Council of Pakistan Ordinance in October 2002, the body operates on a semi-autonomous nature along with an Ethical Code of Practice signed by President Pervaiz Musharraf. It is mandated with multi-faceted tasks that range from protection of press freedom to regulatory mechanisms and review of complaints from the public.
However, the Press Council never came into operation due to the reservations of the media organizations. In protest over its establishment, the professional journalist’s organizations refrained from nominating their four members to the Council. Nevertheless, the chairman was appointed, offices now exist and general administration work continues. This has led the government to review the entire Press Council mechanism.
The Press Council Ordinance has a direct link to the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance (PNNABRO) of 2002. This legislation deals with procedures for registration of publications of criteria of media ownerships.
Among the documents required for the permit or ‘Declaration’ for publishing a newspaper is a guarantee from the editor to abide by the Ethical Code of Practice contained in the Schedule to the Press Council of Pakistan Ordinance. Though the Press Council procedure has made silenced or paralyzed, these forms of interlinking laws could provide the government with additional means for imposing restrictions and take draconian actions against newspapers. The PNNABRO, among many other requirements demands that a publisher provides his bank details. It also has strict controls and regulations for the registering procedure. It not only demands logistical details, but also requires detailed information on editors and content providers.
Ownership of publications (mainly newspapers and news agencies) is restricted to Pakistani nationals if special government permission is not given. In partnerships, foreign involvement cannot exceed 25 percent. The law does not permit foreigners to obtain a ‘Declaration’ to run a news agency or any media station.
In 1947, only four major Muslim-owned newspapers existed in the area now called Pakistan: Pakistan Times, Zamindar, Nawa-i-Waqt, and Civil-Military Gazette. A number of Muslim papers and their publishers moved to Pakistan, including Dawn, which began publishing daily in Karachi in 1947, the Morning News, and the Urdu-language dailies Jang and Anjam. By the early 2000s, 1,500 newspapers and journals existed in Pakistan.
In the early 21st century, as in the rest of the world, the number of print outlets in Pakistan declined precipitously, but total circulation numbers increased. From 1994 to 1997, the total number of daily, monthly, and other publications increased from 3,242 to 4,455, but had dropped to just 945 by 2003 with most of the decline occurring in the Pakistani Punjab Province. However, from 1994 to 2003 total print circulation increased substantially, particularly for dailies (3 million to 6.2 million). And after the low point in 2003 the number of publications grew to 1279 in 2004, to 1997 in 2005, 1467 in 2006, 1820 in 2007, and 1199 in 2008.
Since the Soviet–Afghan War there has also been a presence of jihadi material in the print media : Muhammad Amir Rana estimates that “until 1989, the number of jihad publications in Pakistan had reached 150”, while in 1990 “around 100 jihad monthlies and 12 weeklies were being published in Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad”, in many languages, as “25 were in Urdu, 50 in Pashtu and Persian, 12 in Arabic and 10 in English”, with Kashmiri militant groups alone publishing some 22 periodicals in 1994.
From 1964 into the early 1990s, the National Press Trust acted as the government’s front to control the press. The state, however, no longer publishes daily newspapers; the former Press Trust sold or liquidated its newspapers and magazines in the early 1990s.Newspapers and magazines are published in 11 languages; most in Urdu and Sindhi, but English-language publications are numerous. Most print media are privately owned, but the government controls the Associated Press of Pakistan APP News agency, one of the major news agencies.
A news agency is an organization that gathers news stories from a particular country or all over the world and supplies them to the subscribing news organizations. There are many registered News Agencies in Pakistan, including APP Associated Press of Pakistan, Online International News Network, NNI Network News International, INP Independent News Pakistan, AFP Agency France Press, BBC British Broadcasting Corporation, INN International News Network, IRNA Islamic Republic News.
” All the MASS MEDIA depends upon the agencies for the bulk of the news. In 1835 the world’s first French news agency HAVAS was established. It was followed by Associated press (AP) in 1846, WOLFF in Germany in 1849, TUWORA in Austria in 1850, and REUTERS in UK in1851. Very soon there was a national news agency in almost every European country. Generalist and specialist news agencies operating at international, regional, national, and sub- national levels have constituted a networked system of news gathering and news distribution for well over one hundred years
News Agencies in Pakistan: Following are some of the leading news agencies of Pakistan: Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). Pakistan Press International (PPI). News Network International (NNI). Independent News Pakistan (INP) Pakistan-international Press Agency (PPA). The Associated Press of Pakistan started its life in 1947 with the independence of Pakistan. Initially it was run by a trust but was taken over by government through an ordinance called “ASSAOCIATED PRESS OF PAKISTAN ORDINANCE 1961” on 5th June 1961. (Ayyub Khan’s ERA). APP was later converted into corporation on October, 19, 2002 through an ordinance renaming it as Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation (APPC) and lending a status of Semi- Government media. Associated Press of Pakistan is a registered News Agency in Pakistan, it was established in 1947.The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) APP is a government operated national news agency of Pakistan. Associated Press of Pakistan has bureaus at Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Hyderabad, Faisalabad and Gilgit. The whole news operation is monitored by a CENTRAL NEWS DESK (CND) located at the head office in Islamabad. The CND is connected with foreign new agencies, local and foreign newspapers, government entities, TV channels, radios via internet. Management and Financing: The agency is headed by a Director-General and Managing Director (MD) appointed by the government.
The second oldest news agency Pakistan Press International (PPI) was launched in June 1956. It was started with the name Pakistan Press Association (PPA); in 1968 it was changed to Pakistan Press International. The PPI news agency began its service by hand only in Karachi. Afterwards PPI built a network in smaller cities and town of Pakistan. For foreign news the PPI signed up with Agence France Press (AFP) in 1957. In 1958 it became the first Asian partner of Deutsche Press- Agenture (DPE). The same year it installed Tele printers in the offices of its clients. By 1960, PPI had centers in all the major newspapers centers of Pakistan, namely Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi. The Pakistan Press International (PPI) Pakistan Press International is a famous news agency of Pakistan. Pakistan Press International is the country’s leading independent news agency. The PPI is also recognized internationally and that is because the news on the website is not given against or in favor of any particular group or community. This helps us to maintain the international standards of journalism. The PPI is a trust worthy name for international media to get news from all sectors of Pakistan.

In 1990 after a long time the first ever private-operated national news agency of country Pakistan-International Press Agency (PPA) was established in 1990. The Pakistan International Press Agency (PPA), was founded by Veteran Pakistani journalist, Writer publisher Mr. Khalid Athar and PPA was inaugurated by Mir Khalil ur Rahman founder of the Jang Group of Newspaper in 1990. PPA has hundreds of reporters in Pakistan and other countries as well who provide authentic news from all around the world. The well renowned Pakistani journalists from print, electronic media TV anchors, TV host, presenters and media experts include newspaper reporter, copywriter, editor, news anchor, columnist; public relations agent starts their journalistic career with PPA. Asghar Ali Mubarak has honor to associate as a pioneer sports reporter with the PPA. Pakistan- International Press Agency, PPA is a registered News Agency in Pakistan and a founder member of CPNE, PPA is located in H,No.6 ,street #39 Sector G-6/2 Islamabad.PPA has correspondents all across Pakistan, who provides fresh and latest news to all major news channels, radio stations, magazines, websites and newspapers. It is also present on all social media platforms to help it’s users by providing them with fresh and authentic information and news.
In 1992Pakistani senior journalist Hafiz Abdul Khaliq started the news agency with name of NNI at Khyber plaza blue area Islamabad. The News Network International (NNI) News network international is a private press agency of Pakistan was established in 1992, NNI is a private-operated national news agency of Pakistan. Independent news Pakistan (INP): Independent news Pakistan is a prominent private news agency of Pakistan. Independent news Pakistan (INP) has been working since June 2003. Head-quarter: The main head-quarter of INP is in Islamabad. INP is Pakistan’s third largest news agency. INP’s reports are widely covered by the national media. Many other prestigious National/International News Agencies KPI, ANN, SANA and PNI were established in Pakistan but could not survive due to financial crisis. To register a News agency in Pakistan, the process is not easy, all of the agencies must get an accreditation from Press Information Dept (PID) and register them self with CPNE and APNS. Now a days the registered News Agencies in Pakistan, including APP Associated Press of Pakistan, PPA Pakistan International Press Agency ,Online International News Network, NNI Network News International, INP Independent News Pakistan, AFP Agency France Press, BBC British Broadcasting Corporation, INN International News Network, IRNA Islamic Republic News Agency, Kyodo News agency Japan, PPI Pakistan Press International, Reuters, AP The Associated Press, VOA Voice of America and Sharp Eye.

During a press conference at Pindi cricket stadium Rawalpindi the Pakistani cricketer Shaheen Shah Afridi asked a local journalist Asghar Ali Mubarak to ‘’Put some light on himself face so that he could be more visible’’ – the reporter in question did not take this kindly and says the cricketer should apologize for making a clearly racist remark. The ICC introduced the Anti-Racism policy among the cricket playing nations worldwide. The Anti-Racism Policy replaces the previous Anti-Racism Code and permits Members to exercise more flexibility and discretion in determining what is appropriate within their own jurisdiction to achieve, to a consistently high standard, the desired aims of the Policy. This Policy – one of the toughest in world sport – confirms a level of commitment from the ICC and its Members to promote and encourage participation at all levels regardless of race, colour, religion, descent, culture and/or national or ethnic origin and to ensure that there is no discrimination in the sport. The Policy contains a series of clear but flexible requirements for each Member, whether Full, Associate or Affiliate, in terms of the Member’s own conduct, its education and training of others, its communications with spectators and others, and its reporting to the ICC, each in respect of International Matches played within its jurisdiction. Further, it requires ICC Members to impose punishments on spectators found guilty of racial abuse, which may include ejection from the venue or a ban of a specified period from attending venues within the Member’s jurisdiction to watch cricket, and to deliver preventative measures at international matches. It also contains a series of similar requirements upon the ICC, to reflect the fact that the ICC is primarily responsible for compliance with such matters at ICC Events. Across the world, cricket has a rich and diverse history and regularly demonstrates its capacity to break down boundaries and draw cultures together. There is a strong tradition of fans from rival teams enjoying matches side by side and the off-field camaraderie amongst players is a celebrated feature of the game. Against this backdrop there is clearly no place for discrimination so, in October 2012, the ICC Anti-Racism Policy for International Cricket was introduced as part of the ICC’s continuing efforts to maintain the public image, popularity and integrity of cricket. To assist Members with the implementation of the new Policy, the ICC introduced implementation guidelines at the same time as the Policy was adopted and since the 2012 it has been monitoring the application of these measures around the cricket world.The ICC’s commitment to ensuring the diversity of the sport is respected by its participants is also enshrined in the ICC’s Anti-Racism Code for Participants, where on-field racism is considered one of the most serious acts that can be committed, with the possibility of a life ban for anyone found guilty of such an offence. This Code (among other things) prohibits racially offensive conduct by Participants during International Matches.While this Anti-Racism Policy and the ICC’s Anti-Racism Code for Participants both apply specifically to International Matches, all ICC Members are encouraged to adopt and implement corresponding policies that apply to all other domestic cricket taking place within their respective jurisdictions.