Taking note of grim scenario of journalism in Pakistan, ‘Committee to Protect Journalists’ to release report on the state of press freedom in the country

Pakistan-based journalists have revealed that they are being harassed, roughed up and beaten up to silence their voices. But now, the Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ) which is an independent press freedom agency, has taken note of the hostile conditions faced by these journalists. A report by the CPJ is expected to release on September 12, 2018, which is about the state of press freedom in Pakistan which is titled 'Acts of Intimidation'.

As quoted by the CPJ, a member of the the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Zohra Yusuf said that the journalists of Pakistan are struggling really hard to strive in the country and are currently in a fix ''between a rock and a hard place". The Press fraternity is facing this problem especially in the areas of military and judiciary. 

Yusuf further added that the judiciary of the country has been working hard on making the government more strong and flexible. However, the citizens of Pakistan still have a pre- conceived notion that both the judiciary and military "seem to be on the same page on certain aspects of our democracy."

Yusuf also added that a few journalists of the country have expressed their disappointment on the initiave taken by the judiciary to deal with the freedom of press has not yet brought into any effect and rather have created an atmosphere of fear and self censorship. A woman journalist of Pakistan also claimed that journalists are silent in this country and as a result of this journalism is slowly dying here. 

Before the general elections on July 25, the members of the CPJ wrote a letter to the former caretaker of the Prime Minister Of Pakistan, Justice (retd.), Nasir-Ul-Mulk. As per reports, in the letter, they demanded about a free media environment that would allow the journalists of the country ''to fully enjoy their constitutional right of access to information''. The members of the CPJ also demanded that the voting polls in the country should be more free and transparent.

As per an ANI report, the founder of the Pakistan Press Foundation, Owais Ali, said that the political issues of the country need to be discussed as it includes criticisms of the judiciary and the military in the upcoming elections. 

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In July, 2018, the media regulator of the county, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, had issued a notice to all the channels of Pakistan to not air such statements which contain some 'defamatory' and 'Derogatory' words and target specific institutions like judiciary and armed forces.

Reacting to this, the CPJ members expressed their disappointment regarding this decision of the media regulator of the country and pleaded the interim government 'to take necessary measures to guarantee journalists' ability to work without fear of intimidation or reprisal.'

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As per reports, around 60 journalists were hacked to death in Pakistan since 1992. Some eminent journalists of Pakistan like Gul Bukhari, Asad Kharal, Taha Siddiqui to name a few have been attacked previously. Few other have been threatened too. Pakistan holds 139th position in United Nation's Press Freedom Index. It is one of the those countries of the world which is consistently ranked low in the United Nations, which is an organization consisting of 180 countries.

(With Inputs From ANI)