KARACHI: The annual Pakistan Press Freedom Report, released prior to the celebration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, has revealed that there has been a surge of more than 60% in threats and attacks on journalists, media professionals, and media organisations in Pakistan this year, highlighting the urgent need for measures to protect journalists and media professionals in the country and ensure that they can work without fear of violence or intimidation.
The report, compiled by media rights watchdog Freedom Network, indicated a significant increase in violence against journalists as it documented at least 140 cases reported between May 2022 and March 2023.
According to the report, Islamabad was found to be the riskiest place to practise journalism in Pakistan, with 56, or 40%, of violations taking place in the city. Punjab was the second worst, with 35 (25%) cases of violations, followed by 32 (23%) cases in Sindh.
The report noted that the country’s media environment had become riskier and more violent in recent months, with the number of attacks surging 63% to 140 between May 2022 and March 2023 from 86 in 2021-22. The report also documented the killings of at least five journalists in Pakistan in the period under review.
According to the report, during the 11-month period in Pakistan, there were 140 attacks against journalists. This means that on average, there were 13 cases of press freedom violation every month, or almost every other day.
“The escalation in violence against journalists is disturbing and demands urgent attention,” said Iqbal Khattak, the Executive Director of Freedom Network, a media rights organisation that tracks press freedom violations throughout the year.
Khattak further noted that attacks on independent journalism block access to essential information, which is especially damaging during ongoing political and economic crises when the public needs reliable news to understand the issues and respond to them.
“It is ironic that Pakistan in 2021 became the first country in Asia to legislate on the safety of journalists but one and a half years later the federal and Sindh journalists’ safety laws have not helped a single journalist, resulting in the increasing violence against them,” he added.
