Pakistani authorities block journalist Asad Ali Toor from traveling overseas
New York, August 11, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Pakistani authorities to drop all travel restrictions against independent journalist Asad Ali Toor, who was blocked from traveling to the United States at the Islamabad airport on August 8, according to the journalist. Toor, who had been arrested and beaten prior years, said he was on his…
Pakistani journalist Waheed Murad seized from home in the night
Editor’s Note: On 28 March, an Islamabad court granted Waheed Murad bail and he was released directly from court on a surety bond of 20,000 rupees (US$71), his lawyer Imaan Mazari told CPJ. New York, March 27, 2025—Pakistani authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Waheed Murad, who was taken away by masked men who…
Pakistan authorities detain Raftar founder Farhan Mallick in Karachi
Editor’s note: On March 24, FIA officials raided Raftar’s office and seized Farhan Mallick’s work computer and USB drives, according to a post on X by the media outlet, which called the raid a direct assault on independent journalism. New York, March 21, 2025—Pakistani authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Farhan Mallick, detained in Karachi Thursday by…
Pakistani authorities summon journalist Harmeet Singh over alleged anti-state rhetoric
New York, December 17, 2024—Pakistani authorities must stop harassing broadcast journalist Harmeet Singh, who has been summoned to appear for questioning on December 24 to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Reporting Center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on allegations he engaged in “negative rhetoric against state institutions,” according to a copy of the summons…
Pakistan authorities open criminal inquiry into anchor Sami Abraham
New York, May 9, 2022 – Pakistan authorities must immediately drop their inquiry into journalist Sami Abraham and cease subjecting members of the press to legal harassment in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 6, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency opened an inquiry into Abraham, an anchor with the…
Pakistani journalists charged with criminal defamation over tweets in sexual harassment case
On September 28, 2020, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency filed criminal defamation charges against Maham Javaid, a freelance journalist, and Haseem uz Zaman Khan, an editor and writer for the English-language news website of local broadcaster GEO News, along with seven others, for their involvement in an alleged “smear campaign” against the singer and actor Ali…