UN panel warns Pakistan govt over 'alarming pattern of restrictions' on journalists

A United Nations Human Rights panel recently expressed concerns over what it observed as an "alarming pattern of restrictions" on freedom of media in Pakistan. The UN panel sent two documents to the government of Pakistan and informed Islamabad that it has received inputs concerning a series of "alleged meritless charges" raised against the journalists and human rights defenders in Pakistan. According to The Dawn, these documents are signed by three rapporteurs—  Irene Khan, Elina Steinert, and Mary Lawlor and shared with the Pakistan government two months back.
 
The documents shared by the UN include complaints with cases against journalists in the courts of Pakistan that are still under investigation while in a few other cases the journalists are being questioned or threatened, but are not prosecuted. The report published in the leading Pakistan daily lists at least ten such journalists who stand charged with allegations like defamation and posting unlawful content on the web, against the government.

Pak in IFJ's list of the 'most dangerous countries for practice of journalism'

It must be recalled that in 2020, the International Federation for Journalists had listed Pakistan in the list of five countries that the IFJ said are the "most dangerous countries for practice of journalism." The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)  also condemned the Tehreek-e-Insaf government's actions in Pakistan and has warned the State against using the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to curb political dissent or suppress the journalists. 

Journalists who face charges for criticising the Pak govt

One of the many journalists who allegedly faced charges for criticising the Pak government is Ajeeb Ali Lakho from Sindh. According to The Dawn, he was charged with illegal trade and smuggling of Iranian diesel after his report criticised the government. Lakho in 2019 submitted a petition in over 20 cases filed against him and claimed that all the charges were "false and frivolous."

Meanwhile, Pakistan stands at the 145th position out of the 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2020 World Press Freedom Index, three places lower than in 2019. The names of other journalists who face similar charges include Rana Arshad Sulehri, an Islamabad-based journalist; Bilal Farooqi, a human rights defender and editor of the Express Tribune news site; Mian Dawood, a court reporter; Ahmad Noorani, a journalist from Islamabad now based in the United States, among many others.