Pakistan bans broadcasting of ex-PM Imran Khan’s speeches, suspends ARY News channel
New York, March 6, 2023 – Pakistan authorities must immediately rescind the ban on satellite television channels airing live and recorded speeches by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and restore the license of the privately owned television broadcaster ARY News, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On the evening of Sunday, March 5, the…
Voice News website, social media accounts attacked in Pakistan
On February 17, 2023, an unfamiliar account hijacked a Facebook page run by private broadcaster Voice News and published posts that staff fear may trigger harassment or criminal investigation, according to Ahmer Shaheen, the CEO and chief editor, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. The broadcaster’s website and second Facebook page have also…
Journalist Syed Fawad Ali Shah found jailed in Pakistan after going missing in Malaysia
On August 23, 2022, freelance Pakistani journalist Syed Fawad Ali Shah went missing in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, according to news reports. Shah had lived in Malaysia as a registered refugee since 2011, according to his wife Syeda, who spoke with CPJ. Syeda, who asked to be identified by her first name, said…
Pakistani journalist Imran Riaz Khan arrested for alleged hate speech
New York, February 2, 2023 – Pakistan authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Imran Riaz Khan and cease targeting journalists in retaliation for their commentary on the military, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In the early hours of Thursday, February 2, officers with Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency arrested Khan, an anchor with…
Pakistani journalist Shahid Aslam arrested in leak investigation
New York, January 17, 2023 – Pakistan authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Shahid Aslam and allow the media to freely and independently report on military officials, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 13, Federal Investigation Agency officers in Lahore arrested Aslam, a special correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster BOL…
Pakistan authorities detain brother of slain journalist Hayatullah Khan
On November 19, 2022, Pakistan army officials detained Zameer Khan, brother of slain journalist Hayatullah Khan, in the town of Mir Ali, in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a statement by the Pakistan Press Foundation, a local press freedom group, and Ahsan Ahmad Khan, Zameer and Hayatullah Khan’s brother, who spoke with CPJ by…
Men hold Pakistani journalist Abdul Mujeeb at gunpoint, threaten to kill him
On the night of October 7, 2022, three armed men attacked Abdul Mujeeb, the chief executive officer and editor of Ibex Media Network (IMN), outside his office in the Zulfiqar Abad Jutial neighborhood in the northern area of the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan region. One of the men held him at gunpoint, threatening to kill him, while…
Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif shot dead in Kenya
New York, October 24, 2022 – In response to multiple news reports that prominent Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was shot dead near Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are saddened by the tragic death of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia…
Punjab authorities open blasphemy and defamation investigation into Pakistani journalist Waqar Satti
New York, August 30, 2022– Authorities in Pakistan’s northeast Punjab province must immediately drop their investigation into journalist Waqar Satti, allow him to report freely, and investigate threats he received in retaliation for his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Saturday, August 27, police in the Punjab city of Rawalpindi filed a…
Pakistani journalists Jameel Farooqui and Ilyas Samoo arrested; Farooqui remains in detention
New York, August 23, 2022–Pakistan authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Jameel Farooqui, and cease harassing him and journalist Ilyas Samoo in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On August 19, police in southeastern Sindh province’s Thatta district arrested Samoo, a reporter for the privately owned daily newspaper Awami…