The year 2024 draws to an end with media safety under attack in Pakistan and the space for free expression tightly controlled both offline and online. The year was a mix of political protests, internet shutdowns, and policies and legislation, both proposed and passed, that would increase policing of free expression particularly online.

In 2024, journalists continued to come under attack with unfortunate patterns of violence against the media being repeated including targeted killings of journalists for their work, abductions, arrests and detentions, physical violence, threats both online and offline, and legal action.  

The year began with a caretaker government at the helm ahead of a delayed general election finally held in February, the results of which were contested by opposition parties.  Multiple waves of protests, predominantly by the opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI), were held throughout the year, during which journalists became the target of violence both by law enforcement, and political party workers and supporters even when they indicated they were from the media. Despite this, neither have political parties made any effort to develop policies of engaging with the media during such events, nor have authorities taken practical steps to ensure that journalists are not targeted in the crossfire during protests. Additionally, media professionals have faced threats offline as well as harassment online. 

While the media was in some instances directly targeted, the environment for free expression they worked in was also significantly tightened.  At the same time, mixed messages and little clarity were provided by authorities taking action, and a lack of meaningful consultations with stakeholders leaving citizens in the dark.

In an environment of direct attacks against the media and a tightly restricted landscape for free expression as well as disrupted access to information online, media professionals in Pakistan have to not only worry about their physical safety as attacks against them continue but also face challenges in collecting and disseminating news created through regulations and legislations, and repeated disruptions to internet access.  

Between January and December 2024, the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) has documented at least 162 confirmed attacks on journalists and media professionals in connection to the work and attempts of censorship to regulate and restrict free expression either through punitive measures or regulation:

• Two murders
• 72 instances of assault
• Four instances of abduction
• 12 instances of attacks on property
• Five instances of arrests
• 12 instances of detentions
• 14 instances of case registration
• Eight instances of FIA action, including call-up notices, case registration, involving at least 202 persons
• Two instances of legal action
• Two instances of placement on the Exit Control List (ECL).
• 14 instances of online harassment
• Five instances of threats
• 31 instances of censorship and restrictive regulatory directives including:
• 19 instances of internet, mobile connectivity, and social media platform disruptions, including the ban on X.
• Four restrictive directives by PEMRA.
• Eight other directives, orders, or actions that were tantamount to censorship
• Remarks by the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa targeting journalists.

In addition, there were legislative and policy-level measures that impacted media safety and free expression. These include measures taken, proposed, and in process, including: 

• The formation and repealing of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA)
• Passing of the Punjab Defamation Act, 2024
• Proposed PECA Amendment Bill 2024 that proposes forming the Digital Rights Protection Authority
• Plans for implementation of a national firewall
• Registration and restrictions on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

Internet Disruptions

The year has been marred with internet disruptions and issues with connectivity (mobile and internet). This began ahead of elections through documented internet disruptions that continued into election day. At the end of the year, at least 19 instances of disruption to internet access, social media platforms, and mobile services have been documented. While the importance of digital spaces as mediums of expression should be increasing, the state has clamped down and pushed for regulation and control of online spaces.

In a significant move, X, formerly Twitter, was first restricted on election day and then following the election results on February 17. It remains inaccessible in Pakistan without a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to date. While the courts have since been informed that X was blocked due to national security, initially, there was no clarity on why X had been closed with no authority taking responsibility, including the government or the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). It is ironic that despite a 10-month ban on X, government leaders including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif continue to post on X.

As with most developments in the regulation of online access and spaces, there has been little clarity, unclear communication, and ineffective consultations held ahead of actions taken and legislation proposed. This was exemplified in the push for registration of VPNs which the authorities eventually backtracked from. Stakeholders from the IT sector have detailed the significant consequences as a result of these steps. 

In June, reports emerged that a national firewall was being installed. While the reports were initially denied, IT /Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja later admitted that the government was upgrading its web management system. The minister has also claimed that the issue of the firewall has been “blown out of proportion”. 

Meaningful consultations should be held ahead of proposing legislation and with a diverse group of stakeholders so that they include the voices of industry experts. It is also important to note that the lack of clear communication and meaningful consultations raises questions about entire processes and permits the government to evade accountability.

In a year where it felt like internet disruptions were being experienced more often than not, government officials remarks that firewall issues have been “blown out of proportion” or suggesting Pakistanis limit internet usage to “important matters only” undermine the citizens right to access information which should and must extend to information in online spaces. 

Murders

In what has become an unfortunate norm in Pakistan, murders and other forms of physical violence, abductions, threats of attacks, online harassment, attacks on property, and arrests continued in 2024. Pakistan once again found its place on the Committee to Protect Journalists Global Impunity Index of countries with the highest rates of impunity. PPF found at least two journalists’ murders to be in connection to their work — Bachal Ghunio and Khalil Jibran — both of whom were killed in targeted attacks. Two cases of murders of journalists — Nasrullah Gadani and Kamran Dawar — remain under investigation by PPF. 

A murder is the most extreme and ultimate violence against a journalist and the continued killings of media professionals in Pakistan reflect a complete disregard for the safety of the media regardless of the government at the helm.  The prevailing impunity also reflects a violation of the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021, which states that the government will implement best practices provided for in the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

Physical Violence

Journalists and media professionals in Pakistan worked in the midst of significant political change and upheaval. While not all attacks on the media or forms of censorship were in connection with political developments, the political narrative significantly set the tone for the nature of restrictions and challenges journalists and media professionals faced. This included violence against journalists and media professionals during political protests both at the hands of law enforcement and protestors. In other instances, internet shutdowns also coincided with political gatherings and virtual events by political parties.

Over the course of 2024, PPF has also documented at least 72 instances of assault, 14 instances of journalists facing online harassment including instances where addresses and details of family members of journalists were shared online and five instances of threats.

PPF once again calls for the much-delayed Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021, to be established immediately by the federal government without any further delays. The Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners must be an actively and effectively functioning body so that incidents of violence at the provincial level can be reported, investigated, and addressed. Other provinces must follow suit and take the first step with passage of provincial media safety laws.

Attacks on Property

PPF documented at least 12 incidents of attacks on property which included at least six were attacks on the property of press clubs. These attacks and interference appear to have impacted press clubs in each province of the country. In addition to this, directives were issued to press clubs notably a directive to the Quetta Press Club barring it  from allowing any political party or organization to hold a press conference or seminar without prior approval or permission of district administration. Such steps have restricted their ability to function freely without interference, something they have a right to do.

Abductions

During the past year, incidents of a trend that has become routine as a way of targeting journalists and media professionals i.e. through their abduction was observed. In these instances, a journalist or media professional is picked up by unknown individuals and then either returns safely later or found to be under arrest. In 2024, four such incidents were documented — Matiullah Jan, Aun Ali Khosa, Ahmed Farhad, and Shakir Awan. In such cases, the lack of clarity about the circumstances of the incidents pose a challenge. However, all instances appear to be connected to their free expression. Matiullah Jan faced a similar experience in 2020, a matter taken up by the Supreme Court, which should have been a watershed moment and led to a change in patterns of impunity for such attacks against media professionals. However, Jan was again picked up this year on absurd charges including terrorism and narcotics charges. 

Arrests, Detentions and Actions by FIA

During 2024, including such incidents, five arrests have been documented. Additionally, at least 12 detentions have been documented.  At least 14 instances of case registrations and eight instances of Federal Investigations Agency (FIA) action, including call-up notices, case registration have been documented.

In an alarming start to the year, the FIA  issued notices to several dozen media professionals for allegedly participating in a campaign against the judiciary. In connection with this, journalist and YouTuber Asad Ali Toor was arrested and later released on bail. In December, Dawn reported the FIA registered cases against 150 individuals, including journalists and vloggers, for “allegedly promoting a false narrative against state institutions, particularly the security agencies, over the November 26 crackdown on PTI supporters in Islamabad.” 

Censorship

While at the policy and legislative level there appeared to be a push to regulate digital spaces in particular, directives issued by the broadcast regulator, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) as well as others including different courts had an impact of restricting the media’s ability to report freely including four restrictive directives by PEMRA and eight other directives, orders, or actions that were tantamount to censorship. Noteworthy amongst these was a PEMRA directive barring coverage of ongoing court proceedings. The directive was later declared unlawful by the Sindh High Court and suspended. Such measures make the ability of journalists to report very challenging. 

In a statement, the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) said that pressures on television broadcasters aimed at “exerting maximum control over the media and silencing dissent.” “This one-sided portrayal of the situation is severely damaging the credibility of the media,” AEMEND stated, condemning PEMRA which it stated was acting as a “rubber stamp” and issuing “illegal notices.”

The concerns expressed by AEMEND are noteworthy and reflective of the extent of pressures on the broadcast media. It is important to consider their concerns about how the credibility of the media is being undermined particularly in an era of social media where people are able to access news including fake and misleading information.

Proposed and Passed Legislation and Policies 

Policy level decisions as well as proposed and formed bodies and proposed, passed and in process legislation reflected a push for increased policing of free expression particularly digital spaces. 

The PML-N led government at the helm of the federal government and in the Punjab, province demonstrated its lack of regard for the need to protect free expression online, presenting and approving different bills that increased the regulation of free speech online. These included the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Amendment Bill, 2024, Punjab Defamation Act, 2024, and formation of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). 

A common trend in all such policy and legislative matters was an apparent lack of meaningful consultation with stakeholders even when some consultations were held and a lack of clarity amongst the authorities as certain policies or bodies would be introduced and then repealed. This also raises concerns about the potential misuse of such laws and policies to target critical voices, journalists, and media professionals under the guise of cyber security and defamation as well as the saga of VPN registration and the firewall installation. 

Read complete report here: https://www.pakistanpressfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Pakistani-Journalism-Under-Pressure-in-Pakistan-in-2024.pdf