PTI accuses govt of muzzling media, dissenting voices

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday strongly condemned the “fascist” regime’s unprecedented “assault on media freedom”, billing it as a “deliberate and systematic move to muzzle dissent, criminalise journalism and suppress the truth”.

The party’s Information Secretary, Waqas Akram, said: “This grim reality is evident from the fact that Punjab and Islamabad have now become the most dangerous places for journalists in Pakistan”.

Citing the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, he warned that the ongoing crackdown on journalists and the press represents “one of the darkest and most repressive chapters in Pakistan’s democratic history”.

“The regime imposed through unconstitutional means has lost moral and political legitimacy, and now, in fear of exposure it is resorting to coercion, censorship, and fabricated legal actions to suppress independent journalism,” Akram added.

He said the alarming rise in attacks, arrests, and legal cases against journalists underlines the regime’s growing intolerance for truth. “Punjab and Islamabad have tragically become the most dangerous places for journalists in Pakistan,” the PTI leader lamented, citing the Freedom Network’s Annual Impunity Report 2025, which recorded a 60 per cent surge in violations against media professionals this year.

“At least 142 cases of threats, harassment, and violence were reported, while 36 legal cases were registered against journalists under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) — the laws weaponised to silence critical voices,” he added.

Akram expressed deep anguish over the brutal murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, whose killers remain unpunished despite lapse of several years. “Arshad’s case symbolises the rot of impunity in Pakistan — where truth is buried under fear, and justice is smothered by complicity,” he said, adding that this failure to deliver justice emboldens those who target journalists with total disregard for human rights and law.

“According to Unesco, over 1,800 journalists have been killed globally between 2006 and 2025, with nearly 90 per cent of cases unresolved — and Pakistan remains among the most dangerous countries for journalists, ranking 158th out of 180 in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF),” Akram said.

He emphasised that freedom of the press was the cornerstone of democracy, and without it, the dream of democratic governance will remain elusive. “Every attack on a journalist is an attack on the people’s right to know. When truth is criminalised, tyranny thrives,” he said.

Reaffirming PTI’s unwavering commitment to press freedom, he declared that the party will never remain silent against oppression of journalists. “We will continue to raise our voices for those who risk their lives for truth. A nation that kills its truth-tellers kills its conscience,” he warned, urging the global community and human rights organisations to take notice of Pakistan’s worsening media environment.