PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007 emergency as Pakistan’s darkest day
November 03, 2025: PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007, as Pakistan’s darkest day under Musharraf, urging protection for journalists and the abolition of laws threatening press freedom.
JournalismPakistan.com | Published 7 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spent around Rs 1.63 billion on media campaigns in the last five years to highlight its performance, a senior official informed the Supreme Court on Monday.
KP Information Secretary Qaisar Alam told a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, during the hearing of a suo motu case of alleged spending of hefty amounts on advertisements by provincial governments of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh to highlight their achievements ahead of elections later this year.
During the hearing, the chief justice asked how many advertisements were issued to print and electronic media organizations by the KP government and how many of them carried the photo of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak (pictured).
To this, Alam informed the bench that the provincial government spent Rs 1.63 billion on advertisements during the last five years, while Rs 204.7 million were spent for the purpose during the last three months, DawnNews reported.
The chief justice then directed the secretary to submit details of KP government's advertisement expenditure of the last year, and bring with him copies of ads which carried photos of Khan and Khattak.
The CJP also asked whether Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had deposited Rs5.5 million to the national exchequer that the apex court had directed him to pay last week for spending on a media campaign.
The additional advocate general Punjab then submitted a copy of the cheque of Rs5.5 million that was paid by Sharif.
The amount was reimbursed from "party funds," the advocate told the court.
Stressing that the funds spent on political advertisement campaigns belonged to the treasury, Justice Nisar said: "We have nothing against the advertisements, but they should not be for personal publicity."
He also said that the photographs of late PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also should not appear in government advertisements.
The money spent on government advertisements belonged to the people of Pakistan, the CJP said, adding that the court wants to end the wastage of public funds.
Justice Nisar stressed that the court was not ending the flow of advertisements to newspapers, but only halting "a category of advertisements," and adjourned the hearing. - Agencies/Photo courtesy: Samaa TV
November 03, 2025: PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007, as Pakistan’s darkest day under Musharraf, urging protection for journalists and the abolition of laws threatening press freedom.
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
November 02, 2025: Impunity for crimes against journalists deepens worldwide as Pakistan reports a 60 percent surge in attacks and weak enforcement of safety laws.
November 01, 2025: Pakistan Press Foundation reports 137 attacks on journalists in 2025, highlighting rising threats, legal harassment, and censorship on the International Day to End Impunity.
November 01, 2025: A viral Samaa TV clip featuring MNA Sher Afzal Marwat’s crude remarks and Talat Hussain’s laughter raises questions about the declining ethics of Pakistani television.
October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.
October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.
October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.
November 03, 2025 Global journalist unions condemn the Indonesian agriculture minister’s lawsuit against Tempo, calling it a threat to press freedom and demanding that the case be withdrawn.
November 02, 2025 Independent outlet All About Macau to halt print and online operations amid rising pressure, financial strain, and legal threats, sparking press freedom concerns in the city.
November 01, 2025 Belarus court jails journalist Siarhei Chabotska for extremism and defaming the president, highlighting Minsk’s ongoing crackdown on press freedom.
November 01, 2025 Mexican journalist Miguel Angel Beltran was found murdered in Durango. CPJ urges authorities to ensure justice amid rising violence against journalists in Mexico.
November 01, 2025 UNESCO survey finds one-third of media lawyers cannot effectively defend journalists due to threats, limited resources, and lack of specialization.