January | 2024 | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Monthly Archives: January 2024

Journalistic Freedom

Pakistan Press Foundation

The top court’s suo moto and subsequent hearing into the notices issued by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to journalists has come with some much-needed reminders. The emphasis of the Chief Justice of Pakistan on protecting the right of journalists to criticise is rightly placed in the larger picture of not just individual freedom of […]


Journalists Facing Probe For Smear Campaign Against Judges Get ‘Reprieve’ For Elections

Pakistan Press Foundation

The government on Tuesday assured that no action would be taken against journalists summoned for their alleged role in smear campaigns against judges of the Supreme Court until the February 8 general elections are over. Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan assured the Supreme Court on Tuesday. After the assurance, the top court adjourned further hearings […]


Pakistan needs to manufacture mobile phones: minister

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Dr Umar Saif on Monday said Pakistan was the seventh largest market of cellular users in the world with 191 million cellular connections, but most of the mobile phones were imported in the country. “We need to manufacture them locally and develop an industry to export made-in-Pakistan […]


Fact-check: Yes, PTI’s websites blocked in Pakistan ahead of polls

Pakistan Press Foundation

Multiple online posts claim that authorities have blocked access to the official websites of the political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), ahead of the parliamentary election on February 8. The claim is true. Claim On January 25, a social media user tagged the interim minister for information technology on the platform X, formerly known as […]


Sindh Information Commission Earns Praise from RTI Activis

Pakistan Press Foundation

Sahiwal: Naeem Sadiq, a prominent Right to Information (RTI) activist, has expressed his appreciation for the commendable performance of the Sindh Information Commission in fostering transparency among reluctant public bodies. In a letter addressed to the Sindh Information Commission, Sadiq extended his gratitude, acknowledging the Commission’s efforts and support in compelling traditionally unresponsive public bodies to […]


Sindh Departments Defy Right to Information Act

Pakistan Press Foundation

Sahiwal: Despite the passage of more than a year, a dozen Sindh government departments persist in non-compliance with The Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2016, shrugging off information requests. On January 20, 2023, this scribe submitted information requests to 17 provincial bodies, triggering a prolonged process. An application for internal review, mandated by Section 9(1) […]


PPF alarmed by FIA notices to media professionals for campaign against Supreme Court judges; urge the government to ensure free expression rather than clamp down on it

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is alarmed by the issuance of notices by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to several dozen journalists and media professionals for being part of an “explicit and malicious campaign against Honorable Judges of [the] Supreme Court of Pakistan.”  PPF urges the government to direct the relevant state bodies, including the FIA, […]


SHC continues interim order for uninterrupted mobile phone, internet services

Pakistan Press Foundation

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday extended its interim order directing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Federal Ministry for Information Technology to ensure that there was no more disruption and shutdown of cellular phone and internet broadband services unless provisions of relevant rules were attracted. The high court directed the PTA and […]


Social media dominates 2024 election campaigns

Pakistan Press Foundation

KARACHI: The upcoming elections scheduled for February 8, 2024, are witnessing a notable shift in campaign dynamics, introducing fresh trends compared to previous years. In contrast to the 2018 elections, there is a noticeable surge in reliance on social media platforms for campaigning in the 2024 general elections, with YouTube and Facebook becoming pivotal channels […]


Pakistan’s first Mobile Summit sets stage for innovation

Pakistan Press Foundation

Presented by TECNO, powered by Jazz, designed and produced by Brand Spectrum, Pakistan Mobile Summit, the first ever mobile conference in Pakistan, took place on Monday at Serena Hotel in Islamabad. With a distinguished guest list of top industry leaders and over 250 attendees, this event provided an excellent platform for engaging in insightful discussions, […]


Anti-judiciary campaign: No action against journalists till Feb 8 polls, SC assured

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan on Tuesday assured the Supreme Court that no action would be taken against journalists, who were issued notices over their alleged involvement in the smear campaign against judges, till the general elections slated for February 8. The development came during the hearing of a suo motu case which […]


CJP orders FIA to withdraw notices issues to journalists over criticism

Pakistan Press Foundation

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Monday ordered the immediate withdrawal of notices sent to journalists by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). During the hearing of a suo motu case on harassment of journalists, CJP Isa ordered that the notices issued over criticism of a court verdict be withdrawn. On Monday, […]


FIA registers 100 inquiries against journalists, politicians as per law: Solangi

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD  –  The Supreme Court of Pakistan will take up the suo motu notice of the alleged harassment of journalists by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday (today). A three-member SC bench headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali […]


Sindh govt believes in freedom of expression, says minister

Pakistan Press Foundation

KARACHI: Sindh caretaker Minister for Information, Minorities Affairs and Social Protection, Muhammad Ahmed Shah, has said that the caretaker provincial government believed in the freedom of expression and was ensuring the same. This, he said while talking to a delegation of All Pakistan Newspaper Society’s Sindh Committee, led by Syed Sarmad Ali. Director General, Public […]