Threats against journalists rising in Pakistan despite protection laws: Report

Pakistan was ranked 150 out of 180 countries in 2023 for press freedom. Though the country has laws to protect it’s media professionals, over the past two years, eleven journalists have been killed in Pakistan; Dawn News reported on Monday.

The report stated that accusations of involvement in the physical assault, kidnapping, and filing serious cases against journalists like treason, sedition, and electronic crimes have been made against Pakistani government authorities and state agencies.

The annual report of the Freedom Network, which documented cases of violence against media professionals, stated that even after Islamabad led the world in passing laws pertaining to journalists’ safety two years ago, the nation is still not using the legal tools at its disposal to stop the rise in crimes against journalists.

When Imran Khan was prime minister in 2021, the National Assembly unanimously passed “The Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act.” In 2022, following his removal via a vote of no confidence, Shehbaz Sharif took over as prime minister. The International Day to End Impunity, which falls on November 2, revealed that Islamabad has become the most dangerous city for journalists because both the Khan and Sharif governments failed to create the safety commission that was required by law. Dawn News reported this information.

Following the implementation of safety laws for journalists in late 2021, initially by the Sindh government and subsequently by the federal government, Pakistan has witnessed a concerning rise in the persecution of journalists.

According to the report titled ‘One Step Forward, Two Steps Back – Pakistan Legislates on Safety of Journalists, But Still Fails to Protect Them’, 37.5 per cent of the violations in Pakistan — 93 out of a total of 248 cases occurred between August 2021 and August 2023 — were recorded in Islamabad. Prior to the laws being passed, Pakistan was ranked 157th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2021 World Press Freedom Index.