Mission Journal: Hope in Pakistan
For the last decade, Pakistan has been one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the media. At least 46 journalists have been killed, 24 of them murdered for the “crime” of covering the intelligence services, the Taliban, separatists in Baluchistan, or the criminal underworld. The result is a legacy of self-censorship and fear among…
Pakistan forms commission to protect journalists as reporters routinely face attacks and death
CPJ’s mission to Pakistan and meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif garnered both domestic and international media attention. The Intentional Business Times was one of the many outlets that detailed the positive outcome of the meeting.Read the full article here.
Prime minister pledges justice, security for journalists in Pakistan
Islamabad, March 19, 2014 — In a wide-ranging meeting today with a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged to continue to expand Pakistan’s media freedoms and address the insecurity plaguing the country’s journalists. He also promised to ease visa and travel restrictions on foreign journalists working in the county.
Editor attacked in Pakistan-administered Kashmir
On March 7, 2014, at least 20 assailants stormed the offices of Chingari, an Urdu-language daily based in Mirpur, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to local reports and local press freedom groups, including the Freedom Network and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.
In Pakistan, six convicted in Wali Khan Babar murder
New York, March 3, 2014–A Pakistani court on Saturday convicted six defendants for their roles in the murder of Wali Khan Babar, a Geo TV journalist who was shot dead in Karachi in January 2011, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the convictions–the first in the murder of a Pakistani journalist–but…
Pakistan court convicts five of reporter’s murder in landmark case
A Pakistani court on Saturday convicted six defendants for their roles in the murder of Wali Khan Babar, a Geo TV journalist who was shot dead in Karachi in January 2011, according to news reports. Reuters cited CPJ’s data, which says that 46 journalists and media workers have been killed in Pakistan for their work since 2007. Babar’s…
Attacks on the Press in 2013: Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif won general elections in May, though the vote was marred by violence, including bomb blasts targeting polling stations. The Pakistani media’s nonstop election coverage made news organizations full-fledged partners in the democratic process, intrinsic to the first civilian transfer of power after the completion of a five-year term by a democratically elected…
Shan Dahar’s death underscores impunity in Pakistan
After more than a week since journalist Shan Dahar’s death, it remains unclear whether he was killed in an accident or targeted for murder–and if targeted, why. The confusion serves as yet another example of how weak investigations and a lack of accountability have become the hallmarks of journalist killings in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, another journalist breaks his silence
CPJ’s report, Roots of Impunity, published earlier this year, provides a glimpse of the grim realities that journalists in Pakistan face when they cross red lines. Many journalists are threatened, harassed, and intimidated by a host of actors, including members of Pakistan’s security and intelligence apparatus. Some of these cases get reported, but in many…
CPJ joins Pakistani groups in condemning Express attack
The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined the Alliance for Access, a coalition of Pakistani media groups, academic and student organizations, and telecommunications companies working to promote open access, in condemning Monday’s attack on the offices of Express Media Group in Karachi.