The year 2024 was for the deadliest for journalists in Pakistan as at least 11 were murdered, in which the active role of civilian government and military is highly suspected.¹² Moreover, those in power seemed reluctant to pursue accountability, rather their role was suspected in the violent attacks on the media workers. “Safety is every journalist’s key concern while reporting, and given the fact that 11 journalists, including a YouTuber, were killed this year so far, it has a chilling effect on independent media,” Iqbal Khattak, the executive director of the media watchdog Freedom Network.³

Pakistan ranks second in the world when it comes to number of deaths of journalists, as per the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).⁴ Some of the murdered journalists were from smaller towns where social media have facilitated local reporters to question wrongdoings in their areas. One such journalist named Nasrullah Gadani held politicians and rich landlords accountable. He was murdered for which his brother of slain blamed the member of parliament Khalid.⁵

UNESCO had raised concerns after six journalists were killed in the first half of 2024. Highlighting the killing of local journalist named Khalil Jibran from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said “I condemn the killing of Khalil Jibran and call for a thorough investigation to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Impunity for such violent crimes against journalists should never be allowed.”⁶

A report the Freedom Network found that there was no conviction for 96 percent of journalists killings occurred during 2012-2022. It said the state of Pakistan had failed in its responsibility to pursue justice for the killed journalists. “One in five journalists murdered in Pakistan for their journalism work are guaranteed to not get justice because their case never goes to a court for trial because of the failure of the police to complete investigation,” it said. “The state almost never becomes a party to the case of journalists murdered.”⁷

The recently passed Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act is seen as an instrument to supress media freedom even as the Islamabad government tightened online censorship. Expressing concerns over the negative implications for journalists, CPJ’s Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi

said the Act harmed the press freedom and the public’s right to information. “We are very concerned about such legislation because it gives governments broad powers to silence journalists,” she said.⁸

Journalists in Pakistan are subjected to intimidation, harassment and stringent prosecutions by both non-state actors as well as the state institutions, said legal expert Osama Malik. “However, targeted killings of journalists remain the ultimate means of silencing journalists who do not toe the line, while simultaneously striking fear among their fellow members of the press,” he said.⁹

The government officials generally shift the blame to terrorists in the country. However, critics refused to buy it. They asked why many journalist killings occurred in relatively peaceful Sindh and Punjab province then. Pakistan’s military and its intelligence agencies are often blamed for harassing and killing journalists.¹⁰ Umar Daraz Wazir, who was abducted by the Pakistan’s intelligence forces, said “If you scream, no one will hear you. Who should we request security from?”¹¹

Pakistani journalists who push back or become overly critical of authorities are vulnerable to punishment, said CPJ. “The country’s powerful military quietly, but effectively, restricts reporting by barring access, encouraging self-censorship through direct and indirect acts of intimidation, and even allegedly instigating violence against reporters,” it said. “The military, intelligence, or military-linked and political groups were the suspected source of fire that resulted in half of the 22 journalist murders in the past decade.”¹²

Pakistan’s journalism landscape is fraught with challenges as reporting is subjected to state scrutiny, particularly from powerful military and intelligence agencies, said Dr Imran Ahmed, a Research Fellow at the Singapore-based Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS). “Despite a historically vibrant media environment, reporters face constraints in criticising the military and intelligence apparatus, contributing to a climate of fear and self-censorship. Government-controlled media regulators and vaguely worded laws are wielded to suppress dissent rather than protect journalistic integrity. This environment has made Pakistan one of the most dangerous places for journalists,” he said.¹³