Islamabad, Oct 31: Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and the province of Punjab have been identified as the most dangerous places for journalists in the country, as violations against media professionals surged by nearly 60 percent in 2025 compared to last year, according to the Annual Impunity Report 2025 released by Freedom Network with support from International Media Support (IMS).
The report, published ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, highlights a sharp deterioration in press freedom and journalist safety under the Shehbaz Sharif-led government. It documented 142 cases of attacks and violations against journalists and media workers across Pakistan, marking a drastic rise from the previous year.
According to Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn, the environment for the media has grown increasingly hostile since the February 2024 general elections, rendering nearly every province unsafe for journalism. The report found that 36 formal legal cases were filed against 30 journalists under the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) during the first year of the current government.
Of these, 22 cases were registered under PECA and 14 under the PPC, with Punjab emerging as the hotspot for most legal actions against media professionals. Critics say recent amendments to PECA have made the law harsher, drawing condemnation from journalist unions and human rights defenders.
In September, media workers and activists expressed growing alarm over shrinking press freedom, comparing the situation to General Zia-ul-Haq’s era of censorship. At events in Islamabad honouring veteran journalists Nisar Osmani and C.R. Shamsi, speakers called for unity among journalists to resist government-imposed restrictions and to continue their struggle against oppressive laws stifling free expression in Pakistan.
