Press freedom under threat in Pakistan

By  Firstdespatch Desk   Mar 16, 2023

On March 15, supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan clashed with police outside his home, as Pakistani authorities attempted to exercise a court order for his arrest. This moment in Pakistan's recent political instability is emblematic of the conditions faced by journalists and media workers. Journalists Abbas Bashir and Saqib Bashir were assaulted by police on February 28 while covering an appearance by Khan at the Islamabad High Court. According to reports, a large number of PTI supporters had congregated outside the complex, with the 'manhandling of the journalists explained as police performing their duties' in dispersing the crowd. Outlets seen to be supportive of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek- e-Insaf (PTI) party have faced shutdowns, restrictions and raids this month. On March 5, ARY News was suspended by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) for broadcasting a speech by Khan. The PTI Chair's speeches were banned twice in 2022; PEMRA's decision on this occasion derived from Khan's alleged spread of hate speech and baseless allegations in his criticism of former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. In this environment, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and other media stakeholders strongly condemned the arrest of Bol News Co-Chairman Shoaib Shaikh and the subsequent raid of the BOL News office by the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Karachi. Shaikh, who has previously been investigated, convicted and has successfully appealed criminal charges for his role as the CEO of an alleged diploma mill, has claimed his latest arrest by Federal Investigation Agency officers is a direct attack on press freedom.