• January 21, 2025
• Freedom of Expression

The Sindh Information Department appointed Saeed Memon, Deputy Director of Information (BS-18), as the Secretary of the Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners  (SCPJMP). In a notification dated January 16, the information department announced that Memon, currently working as the deputy director in the District Information Office Thatta, would be transferred and posted […]

• January 10, 2025
• Freedom of Expression

A mob attacked the team of ARY News‘ investigative program Sar-e-Aam while they were conducting a sting operation against an electricity theft network in Lyari, Karachi. Anchorperson Iqrar-ul-Hassan and his crew were targeted with scalding water laced with chili powder. Despite the presence of law enforcement, the violence escalated.  Although Hassan and his team narrowly avoided serious injuries, […]

• December 31, 2024
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

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, […]

• December 6, 2024
• Freedom of Expression

Aijaz Memon, a retired secretary, was appointed the new Chairperson of the Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners (SCPJMP). The decision was made on December 4, during a meeting of the Sindh Cabinet chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. The appointment follows the resignation of Justice (retd) Nazar Akbar from the chairperson role […]

• December 3, 2024
• Freedom of Expression

Senior journalist Matiullah Jan was released after being granted bail by an Anti Terrorism Court in Islamabad on November 30. The bail was granted against a bond of Rs10,000. Jan was arrested in a terrorism and narcotics possession case in what rights groups and journalist bodies termed a “bogus” case on “trumped up charges.” Jan was presented before an […]

• December 3, 2024
• Freedom of Expression

A Hafizabad court on November 29 confirmed the pre-arrest bails of six journalists accused of resisting police operations and allegedly aiding proclaimed offenders in fleeing the outhouse of former Member of National Assembly (MNA) Mehdi Hassan Bhatti. The journalists were ordered by the court to submit surety bonds of Rs50,000 each. Advocates Shah Nawaz Madni and Arshad Mehand represented them. […]

• December 2, 2024
• Freedom of Expression

Eight journalists from Hafizabad have been granted interim bail until November 29 after they were booked by the Kassoki Police Station on November 20. The incident occurred on November 20, when Member of National Assembly (MNA) Aneeqa Mehdi Bhatti, daughter of former MNA Mehdi Hassan Bhatti, was to host a press conference at her father’s residence. According to Dawn, the Hafizabad police […]

• November 28, 2024
• Freedom of Expression, Media Safety

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) strongly condemns the brazen manner in which senior journalist Matiullah Jan was initially said to be picked up and later found charged on bizarre terrorism and narcotics charges. We call for his immediate release. PPF emphasizes the need for a transparent and conclusive investigation particularly in light of recent coverage by […]

• November 27, 2024
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page, General News, Media and Society, Media Safety

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is alarmed by the multiple incidents of violence targeted against journalists and media outlets in Islamabad during protests by the opposition political party, the Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI). It is unacceptable that journalists and the media, who are tasked with covering key events, become the target of violence during periods […]

• November 26, 2024
• Freedom of Expression

A meeting of journalists discussing media safety and press freedom in Punjab’s Seraiki belt was abruptly ended by the district administration on November 21. The incident was reported in a press release by the Freedom Network, an independent media rights organization. The meeting, attended by journalists from Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, and Layyah, was disrupted by Tehsildar [sub-district […]

• November 26, 2024
• Access to Information, Freedom of Expression, General News, Information Technology

Since November 23, citizens in different parts of Pakistan have been experiencing disruptions in internet access and access to social media platforms. While the government had announced possible closures in specific “high-risk areas” ahead of protests by the opposition political party, the Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI), the sporadic, widespread, and unexplained service disruptions extend […]

• November 19, 2024
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page, Media and Governance, Media and Society

The United Nations Human Rights Committee (Committee) has called on Pakistan to “fully implement” the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021 and “swiftly establish” the Commission mandated under the law. The Committee called on the State to guarantee that journalists and others, including human rights defenders and civil society actors, can work “safely, […]

• November 4, 2024
• Freedom of Expression

A judicial magistrate on November 1 discharged journalist Faraz Nizam, affiliated with web portal Urdu Point, from a case lodged by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing. The FIA detained Nizam on October 31  over a crime report they deemed “sensitive and offensive,” and sought remand. According to The News, Nizam had recorded a video in 2023 interviewing two siblings who were accused of […]

• November 1, 2024
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page, General News, Media and Society

Repeated cycles of violence and a climate of censorship plague the media in Pakistan. On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) calls on all duty bearers to act immediately to reverse course in the alarming situation for the safety of journalists and media professionals in Pakistan. It […]