Press freedom under threat in Pakistan

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has warned of a growing crisis for media professionals in Pakistan. It pointed especially to targeted killings of journalists, misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) to file cases against media workers, undeclared censorship, harassment from state and non-state actors, forced layoffs in media organisations, and widespread non-payment of salaries.

The alarm was sounded after the IFJ leadership, including President Dominique Pradalie and Secretary-General Anthony Bellanger,met with a delegation from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in Paris. The PFUJ delegation, led by Secretary-General Shakeel Ahmed, Rawalpindi-Islamabad union head Tariq Usmani and Foreign Committee chair Waseem Shahzad Qadri laid out the escalating pressures on journalists in Pakistan.

In their joint statement, Pradalie and Bellanger condemned what they described as “unlawful” actions targeting media workers and demanded an immediate withdrawal of PECA-based cases. They also called for robust legislation to protect journalists’ rights and urged authorities to hold accountable those responsible for journalist killings. The IFJ further criticised the government’s so-called “undeclared censorship” as both unconstitutional and undemocratic.

Significantly, the IFJ cited data showing that over the period from 2012 to 2022, 53 Pakistani journalists were killed, yet only two of those cases resulted in perpetrators being convicted.The trend of killings is part of the broader impunity crisis the IFJ highlighted.

The IFJ also drew attention to the economic squeeze facing Pakistan’s media workers, mass layoffs and non-payment of wages, which the federation described as an “economic massacre” of journalists. They appealed directly to Pakistan’s top political leadership to enact urgent reform.

According to the latest reporting, violations against Pakistani journalists increased by nearly 60% in 2025 compared to the previous year, with incidents especially high in Islamabad and Punjab as per the Annual Impunity Report. The IFJ warned that if authorities fail to respond, the matter could be elevated to the United Nations for international intervention.