2018: A year of media suppression and rights abuses in Pakistan | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

2018: A year of media suppression and rights abuses in Pakistan

Pakistan Press Foundation

“Sneaky”, “sinister” and “Orwellian” are just some of the words Pakistani journalists and human rights defenders used to describe the censorship and growing clampdown on dissent, mainstream and social media in their country over the past year.

Although previous Pakistani governments also put pressure on civil society and the media, this year, many Pakistanis working in these fields I talked to felt that direct and indirect repression has increased significantly.

Attacks on the media 

As we were wrapping up 2018, there were a number of incidents that solidified the perception that the situation in the country has really gotten worse.

In early December, the Pakistani authorities blocked the website of Voice of America’s Pashto language radio service.

Then on December 8, a police case was filed against dozens of people in the aftermath of a rally organised by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (Pashtun Protection Movement – PTM), which campaigns for Pashtun rights. Among them were two journalists Sailaab Mehsud, affiliated with Dawn newspaper and Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty’s Mashaal Radio, and Zafar Wazir of the local channel Khyber TV, who had been covering the rally.

On December 14, Pakistan’s electronic media regulatory authority (PEMRA) issued an advisory note calling on media outlets not to report excessively on topics such as violence, kidnapping, sexual abuse, terrorism and natural disasters. 

This document came after a similar one was issued in advance of the July parliamentary elections, which called on the media not to air “derogatory and malicious content” against the judiciary and the army. These regulatory letters purportedly aim to build a “positive image” of the country and address the “negative perception” of Pakistan globally, but many see them as a form of pressure on the media.

Then on December 15, Jang Group, the country’s leading media house, fired hundreds of staffers en masse, closing down a number of its outlets.

Over the past year, a number of media organisations have had to downsize or close down due to declining advertising revenue or other financial constraints. Journalists I have talked to believe that this is a tactic to control the media and impose more “friendly” reporting on the authorities. 

They also say that printing presses have been pressured to stop from publishing certain newspapers, cable operators have been asked to cease broadcasting certain channels and big businesses have been advised against putting up advertisements with certain media outlets.

The media have also been pressured to fire certain employees who have been too critical of the Pakistani establishment. This year, leading prime-time news show hosts Talat HussainMurtaza SolangiMateeullah Jan, and Nusrat Javed either quit or lost their jobs. What they have in common is that they all questioned the transparency of the July elections and openly criticised the jailing of the former PM Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Mariam Nawaz.  

Journalists I talked to also shared their frustration with the increasing pressure and censorship in Pakistani newsrooms.

“It was ridiculous how we had to keep beeping off Nawaz Sharif when he would appear in court and during the election coverage. Election day was one of the worst days in my career as a producer in the newsroom, and I have seen the Musharraf era. We were not allowed to counter the official narrative of the authorities,” a senior producer of a news bulletin of a prominent cable news network told me.  

An editor of an English-language daily complained that a “screening process” was set up in his newsroom under the explicit directions of the publisher which resulted in everyday interference and forced removal of editorials and op-eds.

Pressure on civil society

In addition to an intensifying clampdown on the media and the resulting self-censorship, the authorities are now pushing hard to further suppress the civic space and impose the official narrative on the human rights situation in the country after the July election.

In 2018, the authorities escalated pressure on human rights defenders and activists peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. They faced arrests, disappearances, accusations of treason, and violent threats from hardliner groups. The government has also stepped up filing complaints with social media companies against its online critics.

Recently, Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry admitted that the authorities want to regulate social media. Over the past several months, a number of human rights defenders and activists have received emails from Twitter that their tweets violate the country’s law; some accounts have even been suspended.

There have also been a number of human rights defenders, journalists and members of the legal profession who have either had to go into hiding or move to another country. Journalist Taha Siddiqui, for example, had to leave with his immediate family after narrowly escaping an abduction attempt.

The current government also continued the campaign the previous one started against non-governmental organisations (NGOs). As a result, this year some 18 international NGOs were forced to discontinue operations in the country, including Action Aid and Plan International. 

Another prominent target of the Pakistani authorities’ assault on civil society this year was the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.

Many of its members, including two MPs, Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, are facing police cases for taking part in rallies and corner meetings of the PTM.

In July, Hayat Preghal, a Pashtun human rights defender, was detained for a few days. He later faced charges of “anti-state” online expression via social media for his posts in support of PTM.

Preghal, who worked as a pharmacist in the United Arab Emirates, was in Pakistan on leave. Following the court hearing, his name was put on a no-fly list and as a result, Preghal, who is the primary breadwinner of his family, lost his job. He is yet another victim of what appears to be a campaign of targeted economic pressure against political dissidents and human rights activists. 

Over the summer, Wrranga Lunri, a Pashtun women’s rights advocate and supporter of PTM, also faced an intimidation campaign and had to relocate from her hometown in Balochistan. She was targeted for being a woman and an organiser, speaking out in public about her cause.

These are just a few of many examples of people who have fallen victim to the increasing intolerance for freedom of speech and human rights activism in Pakistan.

It is clear that this year the Pakistani authorities not only failed to abide by their constitutional and international commitments to ensure respect for rights and freedoms, but they actually actively engaged in campaigns of intimidation and censorship. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that 2019 would be any different in this regard.

Aljazeera


3 Responses so far.

  1. Watsonwwy says:

    Russian girls are searching for critical actions to catch their attention. If you want to catch a Russian beauty’s consideration, you need to work onerous. With regards to discovering a overseas woman for courting and marriage, Russian ladies are often the primary ones to come up. Russian ladies typically need to have their first youngster of their early to mid-twenties, so it provides them extra time to spend with their little ones and still have loads of time left for career accomplishments. With the client help Russian Brides affords, you won’t be left stranded. One in every of a very powerful features of marriage for a Russian lady is mutual support and trust between the companions. Russian women are fond of dependable and trustable men. Russian ladies don’t undergo from an absence of male consideration at dwelling, but they are still very eager about assembly Western men and possibly even marrying them and shifting abroad to dwell with them.

    From media or private experience, Russian ladies know that Western men have the exact set of qualities they need to see of their companions, and that is strictly what motivates them to look for overseas companions. Speaking of live chat, this instrument, in addition to Mails, are available to those that need to start out private conversations and have already purchased some credit on JollyRomance. Russian ladies appreciate and settle for their partners for who they really are. These sites are dependable, easy to make use of, and value-effective, but most significantly, they introduce you to hundreds of sexy Russian ladies who can not wait to fulfill their foreign match. The good news is that there are dozens of international relationship sites where you can meet Russian girls for a serious relationship. Many of the relationship sites carry out a procedure of verification to scale back the variety of faux accounts on the location and make your journey safe.

    So if you’re looking for someone to settle down with, a Russian lady is your number one choice. They don’t seem to be trying partners for a day stand or one thing like that. Closing ideas-Does on the lookout for Russian ladies on-line still make sense? After checking out the local beaches and vacationer facilities, make certain to visit the Cocos and Sky evening clubs, or Gosti and Suluguni eating places to experience local hospitality. Therefore, to find the perfect European dating site for you, from my expertise I’d say that it’s a must to sort by means of the accessible choices and select people who fit your needs. All it’s important to do is sign up, create an account, fill out a profile kind, put up a picture, and you are ready to start out your russian dating experience. A number of guys enroll and start buying every little thing they’ll reach. You will see numerous them while merely walking the streets of Moscow or visiting essentially the most well-known tourist points of interest, but it’s also possible to try the Sabor De La Vida, Lure Oysterbar, and Megobari eating places, in addition to Pravda and Propaganda nightclubs. A number of western males choose this dating site for locating marriage in Ukraine. When dating a Russian girl, you won’t ever feel like she doesn’t accept a few of your options and needs to alter you, which is something that can typically occur when you’re courting Western girls.

    If a Russian lady agreed to go out with you, not to mention start a critical relationship with you, you possibly can rest assured she needs to be with the real you. If they select you, they discover you the most fitted partner. Russian ladies can date freely when they’re in their late teens or early twenties, but there comes a time once they resolve that they wish to find a husband and spend the rest of their lives with him. Moreover, most Russian families charmdate scam have a formidable dwelling library, which is why Russian girls develop up reading classic world and Russian literature. So what is it that overseas males have that Russian men don’t? A Russian lady you meet online is only eager about a serious relationship, not a enjoyable fling or a long-distance relationship. These 7 tips will enable you to give a perfect start to the connection. Make them know what you want from your relationship from the very beginning. Other than their latest photographs, the site also provides other vital particulars that help males make a thought-about resolution. Lots of individuals consider it the most effective Russian dating site due to its search filters.

  2. Skyesrhz says:

    Having that mentality will make your messages sharper. They might then ask for further funds to be sent, saying they have been having issues with the journey. Then I began realizing that many men are best possible on-line, but too shy or too socially awkward to actually spark any chemistry in actual life. There are side-results to collaborative filtering: users with uncommon preferences are poorly served by the algorithm. Customers of relationship apps make “yes” or “no” selections on different users, one-by-one, and that knowledge is counted to determine whose preferences that user most resembles. However a large userbase additionally makes unusual preferences appear extra uncommon and customary preferences seem much more common. A large userbase places cash in the company’s checking account. Consider choosing a new photograph that’s not already linked to a social media account. Recognize Online Dating is hard for Ideas Men and women On many websites, some girls simply have to place up one photograph and they’ll obtain guide in a single hour. Internet dating supplies a easy way to meet single women and start flirting.

    That is before we even think about organising and going on dates with asiame review girls. “A lot of times we are presenting an image of what we predict our viewers needs to see versus who we actually are,” says Nobile. Suppose about your massive “deal breakers” and keep on with that for now. If your conversations are deep and meaningful, and you be taught an amazing deal about her associates and household, it reveals that she trusts you sufficient to share personal info. With messages a day, how are you going to probably sort by way of these? At the end of the day, you’re each utilizing an web dating site to try to meet someone new. This is mind-boggling. Guys tricks to work a match more durable to be on the receiving finish of pursuit. It’s because the long run is uncertain, and who is aware of what issues will look like if you end up getting collectively. Yet if she’s asking questions on what the longer term holds, it’s a good signal that she is contemplating whether or not you may be part of it. Within the early days of an online dating relationship, people are inclined to draw back from discussing the longer term. I don’t care if they appear like the nicest individuals alive, Keep ALERT it could possibly prevent some day.

    When two folks meet organically, it’s most likely as a result of they already have one thing in frequent, like pals or hobbies. While many legacy relationship functions let you browse, most people choose being given a single profile to have a look at and making a yes/no choice. If you would like additional recommendation on methods to take the ideal photos for your profile check out my infographic beneath. Some people take their profile too critically after which they add pointless particulars that would give wrong impressions otherwise. • Individuals usually search their soul mates in many different ways or wait for the precise time to come back to get their right associate. • We perceive your emotions for some one particular and respecting it we always try to supply you finest services, so the relations can made extra mushy and give you happiness. With some many members on these websites it is very important that you just provide you with finest effort making your first impression. Blink schedules members for Blink Dates, after which every member evaluates the date to tell us how it went. Money scams can vary from serving to your potential suitor, to serving to their sick canine or relations.

    In the event you walk into your information with a real want to study the other individual, have a pleasing dialog, and have an interior marketing of what you convey to the potential partnership, you will really feel a profitable more comfortable meeting strangers. Being extra productive is a ability you may. Nowadays, an increasing number of courting are meeting each other online and the rules are being rewritten. Remember, they’re probably just as nervous reddit you might be. Why reddit you make investments ideas turning into good connected to someone by their writing and phrases if you would never click guide you meet for particular person? Is it too late for you to become guide at time management? Have you ever ever websites if time hvm is a skill you could develop? When utilizing online dating sites to seek out love, you must remember that the duty might take just a few hours. For all of us that aren’t timid you might constantly take to adding a YouTube courting announcement online. While she won’t ask you out explicitly, you would possibly notice she’s dropping hints about what she likes to do and when she’s free.

  3. Johnjvu says:

    Listed here are some suggestions which you can keep in thoughts when you resolve to navigate the uncharted waters of on-line relationship and matchmaking. It will make your dates much more fun should you sustain with your partner’s strikes. You’ll be able to merely use this service and Amo Latina will take care of every little thing. Another way that AmoLatina enhances the communication expertise between two users is with the usage of stickers, smiles, and winks. It’s a simple, self-explanatory service, however it’s a good one to have because it enhances the expertise of would-be couples. The location is certainly not for these on a budget, but if used sensibly, it could actually supply an expertise of a lifetime. After studying this AmoLatina overview and studying about the totally different options, providers, and security measures the site has in place, I hope you assume that AmoLatina is one of the best place for meeting Latin American singles! For instance, if you’re all in favour of meeting ladies aged 25-35 years, “Let’s Mingle” means that you can send a mass message to all single women within this age bracket. This service is perhaps the best one on the list as a result of it permits members to send actual presents to one another. Members get pleasure from seeing each other because it makes the courting observe really feel more actual.

    We advocate the second variant as it is a lot more handy and comfy than touring: you’ll spend less time and cash utilizing the web dating companies. When you have the identical desire and are prepared to start a relationship with a woman on distance, you’ll love the thought of communication with a mail order bride! Now discovering your other half is less complicated than ever because of online courting platforms that assist individuals begin a brand new blissful life. Lastly, it could help when you kept in thoughts that the net process may be very exhausting. For instance, when you meet someone particular via AmoLatino and want latamdate.com to provide them a reward, you don’t should rack your mind fascinated about how you can do it. Usually, it’s possible you’ll spend around $5000 to satisfy your woman and marry her. Find Latin beauty. Meet handsome Latino man. LatinAmericanCupid is a distinct segment latin dating service. We differ from paid Latin dating sites as there are niche options accessible without spending a dime. Luckily, there are just a few prime Latin dating websites that share comparable options and, therefore, could be simply discovered among an enormous variety of courting portals.

    Such websites improve their self confidence before meeting up face to face. Also, let’s face it, not everyone is nice at doing voice calls or video calls when meeting new individuals. Now, let’s focus on the particular features of this highly effective Latina courting app. When applied appropriately, they might also significantly increase the probabilities of being successful with relationship a Latina. MeetFems is a free Latin dating site that has no cost situation. Discover Latin singles on cellular. It provides profession, age, interest class, bodily options based mostly Latin singles in city of selection. Just go to your Google Play Account to obtain the AmoLatina singles app. Strict Anti-Scam Policy – Within the unlikely case of members getting scammed, AmoLatina has an Anti-Scam Coverage in place. Hundreds of Latin single members are on the lookout for relationship to love. For Latin women the best way to search out the particular soulmate man is through our free advanced relationship search.

    These specific a user’s emotion in a completely different and enjoyable means. Nonetheless, free sites can even show very efficient and fun to make use of. Ukranians use a large number of methods to decorate eggs for Easter. The e-mail service is just like the emailing services we use on daily basis. Some free websites offer better services than their paid counterparts. What Are The best Latin Dating Sites? This safety protocol helps to avoid all the faux profiles different related dating websites battle with. It’s like relationship a person you have by no means seen and investing time and emotions on them. You will notice here new profiles each month, though we hope that you will not spend loads of time right here. A downside to having an in depth profile is that 99% of customers will not learn it carefully. A woman in El Salvador remembered having read an article on Univision’s site, and saw the man. Poor Greg Marmalard just cannot win; after being the large man on campus at Faber, Greg finally ends up as an aide to the doomed President Nixon. It’s not like I don’t know what that seems like: Being in a giant empty house, and the footsteps echoing by means of the hallway, no one there – and nobody on the pillow next to you.