Freedom of the press in Pakistan
Freedom of the press in Pakistan is legally protected by the
The law of Pakistan (in media) maintains a hybrid legal system for independent journalism, while it prohibits media bias or misleading information under certain constitutional amendments as described by the country's constitution. Media crime which is described by the country's criminal codes is recognized as an unlawful act.
Nevertheless, freedom of the press in Pakistan is subject to certain restrictions, such as defamation law, a lack of protection for
To protect the intellectual, moral, and fundamental rights of the citizens, the government has taken several countermeasures to combat circulating fake news and restricting objectionable content across multiple platforms. The law of Pakistan prohibits spreading or publishing fake news through social or mass media, and could lead to the imprisonment of a journalist or a newspaper ban.[1][2][3]
Journalists accuse the military and security agencies of suppressing negative publicity.[4]
Global ranking
In 2020, Pakistan's press freedom rank dropped to 145 out of 180 countries in the
Targeting victims such as physical abuse against journalists and prejudice is one of the other reasons for the decline in the world ranking index. The annual report stated the declination of rank for several unlawful reasons such as written and verbal threats of murder, and offline and online harassment. The report argued self-censorship in the country.[7]
Reactions
The
Censorship on press
The
The
In 2019, the government suspended news TV channels, including
On 4 January 2023, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) blocked Wikipedia for blasphemous content. The spokesperson from PTA told the press that it would remain blocked until it removes all the objectionable material.[16] Pakistan also blocked Youtube from 2012 to 2016 for blasphemous content again Prophet Mohammed.[17]
Cult of personality
The media have consistently upheld the personality cult of the leaders since the country's formation. The journalists in the country have experienced troubles during the military dictatorship, the PTI government led by Imran Khan, however, partially restored independent journalism. Sometimes, Imran Khan's government is argued for direct censorship following the Balochistan conflict.[18][11] In 2011, the tenth and the former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf is often claimed for expanding independent journalism in the country. He is also argued for banning the television news channels during 2007 Pakistani state of emergency.[19]
References
- ^ "PID". pid.gov.pk.
- ^ "Pakistan Moves to Restrict Social Media | Voice of America – English". www.voanews.com.
- ^ "The Protection of Journalists Act, 2014" (PDF). www.na.gov.pk.
- ^ TV reporter goes missing in southern Pakistan The Guardian, 2020
- ^ "Pakistan ranks 145 on press freedom index". DAWN.COM. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan struggles at 142nd rank on World Press Freedom Index | SAMAA". Samaa TV.
- ^ "Press freedom declining in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 3 May 2020.
- ^ Agencies (1 August 2019). "Reporters Without Borders blasts Imran's remarks on press freedom". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Opinion: The decline of media freedom in Pakistan – A journalist tells his story | DW | 10.12.2019". DW.COM.
- ^ "Press Freedom Under Siege in Pakistan: Where to Next?". thediplomat.com.
- ^ a b Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Baloch, Shah Meer (5 November 2019). "'Extreme fear and self-censorship': media freedom under threat in Pakistan" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Zafar, Imad (13 March 2020). "Attack on press freedom continues in Pakistan". Asia Times.
- ^ "A bad year for press freedom | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk.
- ^ "Pak media watchdog bans TV anchor, show for 60 days for letting minister display army boot to mock Oppn during talk show". Hindustan Times. 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Media watchdogs slam 'brazen censorship' by Pakistan". www.aljazeera.com.
- ^ "Why has Pakistan blocked Wikipedia?". The Indian Express. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Pakistan lifts YouTube ban after three years". CNBC. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "Pakistan: Imran Khan's government is 'muffling critical voices' | DW | 03.05.2020". DW.COM.
- ^ O'Hara, Carolyn. "Musharraf: I take all the credit for Pakistan's media freedom".