ISLAMABAD: Senior journalists and anchorpersons, representatives of press unions, political leaders and civil society members have formed a united alliance to protect freedom of expression and expand civic space in the country.
The development came during a roundtable titled “How to Strengthen the Custodians of Free Speech to Expand the Space for Freedom of Expression?”, moderated by senior journalist Munizae Jahangir and presided over by veteran journalist Nasir Zaidi.
“Censorship, legal harassment, economic insecurity and restrictions on digital communication are undermining independent journalism across the country,” warned speakers at the roundtable.
Prominent anchorperson Hamid Mir said the accounts shared by journalists from the provinces and regions reflected longstanding restrictions on freedom of expression, but argued that the role of political parties in introducing and passing restrictive legislation needed to be documented.
Mir cited figures of around 500 cases registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), including 35 against journalists, though these figures require independent verification.
He also referred to a proposed bill to regulate social media use by children under 16, which he said would penalise parents for violations committed by their children.
He proposed preparing a white paper documenting restrictions on freedom of expression and the role of political parties in enacting them.
Veteran journalist Mujeebur Rehman Shami said Pakistan’s problem was not simply the absence of laws, but the failure to implement existing legislation effectively. He noted that laws were enacted one after another, yet enforcement remained weak.
Shami proposed preparing a comprehensive document analysing relevant laws, their implementation and their impact on freedom of expression.
Senior journalist Sohail Warraich said responsibility for protecting the fundamental right to free expression rested with society as a whole. Warraich stressed that restoring freedom of expression required political parties and other groups to clearly state their commitment to the principle.
He called for all political and social forums to openly express their position on freedom of expression and ensure that their actions matched their stated commitments.
Veteran journalist Najam Sethi said political parties were not strong supporters of freedom of expression and were failing to protect people’s rights.
He said that journalism had been damaged by self-censorship, with media owners imposing restrictions when journalists did not censor themselves.
Describing the situation as dismal, he said media organisations were increasingly focused on survival with a limited agenda rather than pursuing broader journalistic objectives.
Sethi argued that sustained protest was one of the few options available to resist restrictions, but stressed that it could only succeed if journalists and their organisations set aside their differences and demonstrated unity.
Senior journalist Asma Shirazi said laws such as PECA should not be enacted or used to suppress journalists and restrict freedom of expression.
She expressed particular concern over online trolling and harassment targeting women, saying such abuse was often dismissed as a minor offence despite the fact that it forced many women to leave social media platforms.
She warned that continued harassment and the silence of media bodies on this issue could eventually drive women out of online spaces altogether.
Senior journalist and editor Arifa Noor said there was a need to document abuses against journalists and the censorship imposed on the media. She said that there is a lack of documentation of violations against free expression and this needs to be rectified.
The roundtable brought together elected journalist unions from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) to assess challenges to freedom of expression and discuss practical measures to protect journalists and defend civic freedoms.
Sharing the situation in Balochistan, senior journalist Saleem Shahid said journalists faced threats from non-state actors, political parties and religious groups, while self-censorship had become increasingly prevalent in the media.
The economic situation was equally alarming, Shahid said, adding that television channels had reduced their provincial reporting teams to a single reporter and cameraman, leaving many journalists unemployed. He said the provincial government had failed to provide adequate relief to unemployed media workers.
The Karachi Union of Journalists President Tahir Hasan said that in Sindh self-censorship had become the norm across Pakistan, although journalists working in Sindhi-language media continued to report relatively freely.
He said the economic crisis had forced many journalists to leave the profession, while political divisions had weakened journalists’ organisations, with different groups often being labelled as aligned with particular political parties.
Hasan said all stakeholders needed to actively participate in defending freedom of expression.
PFUJ Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter Vice President Nasir Hussain said the situation in KP bore similarities to that in Balochistan, with journalists facing security threats, censorship and economic hardship.
He said more than 30 journalists had been killed in KP since 9/11, while the Peshawar Press Club had also been targeted in a terrorist attack. According to Hussain, 22 journalists faced threats in 2025. He also highlighted a proposed law passed by the KP Assembly that prescribed imprisonment and heavy fines for journalists speaking against the assembly speaker.
The legislation was withdrawn following protests by journalists, after the government disowned responsibility for how it had been passed. Hussain said journalists in KP had been pressing for the adoption of a journalists’ protection law since 2021.
He estimated that around 60% of journalists in the province had lost their jobs amid the financial crisis facing the media industry.
Punjab Union of Journalists Secretary General Qamar Bhatti said that cases under the PECA were frequently used to threaten and intimidate journalists.
He also raised concerns about alleged excesses by Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) officials against ordinary citizens, arguing that journalists had a responsibility to report such abuses.
Bhatti questioned the allocation of billions of rupees in federal and provincial government advertisements to media organisations without adequate scrutiny of whether journalists were being paid their salaries on time.
Senior journalist Arif Wahab said journalists in AJK were working in an atmosphere of fear, with concerns about possible arrests and restrictions on reporting.
Wahab said a disruption in internet connectivity lasting more than three months had severely affected journalists in AJK. Although connectivity had been restored, internet speeds remained slow, while Rawalakot had become a “no-go area” for journalists.
Former PPP senator and human rights activist Farhatullah Babar urged the proposed alliance to engage political parties directly and present a structured account of restrictions on freedom of expression, along with clear demands.
The responsibility for defending free speech, he argued, could not rest with journalists alone. He also expressed concern over the non-functionality of the Journalists Protection Commission, saying its membership remained incomplete.
Highlighting the absence of a comprehensive personal data protection law and adequate regulation on surveillance, he called on the alliance to demand safeguards for personal data and a legal framework governing surveillance.
Punjab Assembly Press Gallery Association President Khwaja Naseer said journalists had repeatedly submitted recommendations for legislation to protect their rights and had held around 20 protests, but meaningful progress remained limited.
He said successive legal measures, including amendments to PECA and defamation legislation, had added to the pressure on journalists.
At the same time, financial insecurity had left many media workers without salaries for months, while some major media organisations were paying less than the minimum wage.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said freedom of expression is a fundamental right of every member of society, while noting that the Constitution recognised the right subject to certain conditions.
Defending the need for amendments to cybercrime legislation, Tarar argued that the regulatory framework governing traditional media could not adequately address the challenges posed by social media.
He said newspapers and television channels had established mechanisms, including codes of ethics and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), through which complaints could be addressed.
PEMRA’s complaints councils, he added, also included journalists’ representation.
Tarar said the absence of comparable mechanisms for social media had created gaps in addressing online threats, harassment and blackmail.
He argued that the government needed mechanisms to address such cases and protect citizens from online abuse, while maintaining that the government’s position on social media regulation was not intended to undermine freedom of expression.
The minister said the Journalists Protection Commission had been established and was now operational, adding that the Ministry of Information had worked to ensure the body was completed promptly.
He also said consultations during the formation of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had included assurances to media representatives that journalists would not face action under multiple laws for the same offence.
Tarar urged media organisations to submit their concerns and recommendations in writing so that implementation of the law could be improved.
He called for better coordination between the government and media bodies to ensure that legislation was not applied arbitrarily.
He also said terrorists and radical elements were active on social media and argued that regulation was necessary to make society safer. Referring to international practices, he maintained that regulation and defamation laws were also present in Western countries.
Tarar recommended that coordination between the government and media organisations should be improved; laws should be implemented fairly and not arbitrarily; gaps in the handling of online threats should be addressed and there must be consultations with journalists’ bodies to improve the implementation of cybercrime legislation while protecting freedom of expression.
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Secretary General Arshad Ansari said a united alliance was the need of the hour and journalists’ unions must lead the effort to protect press freedom.
Ansari emphasised that press clubs served as social platforms, while unions were responsible for defending journalists’ professional and economic rights.
He expressed concern over the absence of arrests or convictions in the murders of 51 journalists and said the media industry was facing a severe crisis.
He noted that PFUJ had challenged PECA in court, but the matter remained undecided, while journalists had also faced cases under Punjab’s defamation law.
He criticised the 2025 amendments to PECA and questioned whether political parties that had opposed the law while in opposition would support journalists if they launched a long march against it. Ansari further warned that the proposed expansion of cybercrime enforcement powers could lead to greater impunity in the absence of safeguards.
Calling for a coordinated agitation, Ansari said journalists would invite other sections of society to join a protest camp in Islamabad.
