ISLAMABAD: World Press Freedom Day is being observed globally today, with a particularly poignant focus in Pakistan, where the occasion serves as both a tribute to the sacrifices of journalists and a stark warning about the deteriorating state of press freedom.
While journalism is constitutionally recognized as the “fourth pillar” of the state, the current environment is described not as a granted right, but as a hard-won struggle forged through decades of imprisonment, torture, and physical chains endured by media professionals.
The past year has marked a severe regression in safety and liberty for Pakistani reporters and digital content creators, with violations surging by nearly 60% compared to 2024. Between November 2024 and September 2025 alone, at least 142 distinct incidents of targeting were documented, ranging from physical assaults and abductions to systematic digital suppression.
Authorities over the last couple of years have intensified restrictions through a nationwide ban on the platform X (formerly Twitter), the blocking of 27 YouTube channels, and frequent internet blackouts, creating a highly restrictive ecosystem for dissent.
Besides these, legal mechanisms are appeared to have become primary tools for silencing independent voices, with the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) amended in early 2025 to harden punitive provisions without stakeholder consultation. Watchdog groups report that the law is now systematically used to target journalists, while government officials accused of spreading fake news remain unaccountable.
In the first year of the current federal government, 36 formal legal cases were registered against 30 media professionals under PECA. The judicial crackdown culminated in January 2026, when an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad sentenced seven high-profile figures, including journalists Shaheen Sehbai and Wajahat Saeed Khan, to life imprisonment on charges of “digital terrorism.”
As the nation commemorates this day, the message from the media community is clear: journalism is not a crime and the freedoms enjoyed today are fragile and maintained only through relentless struggle against a state apparatus increasingly willing to use legal and physical force to curb critical reporting.
