PFUJ calls for end to Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
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.
JournalismPakistan.com | Published 13 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD: The Canadian High Commissioner Ross Hynes Thursday said Pakistani journalists were serving their country on the front lines and lighting up dark places despite intimidation and threats.
“Today, we want to express our support for the Pakistani media community by celebrating journalism that focuses attention on the public interest – the issues that matter to Pakistanis.”
He was speaking at the 'Canadian High Commissioner's Awards for Pakistani Journalism in the Public Interest.’
Hynes also announced that awards for Pakistani Journalism in the Public Interest would be given away on an annual basis. Submissions for next year’s awards will be invited in early 2013.
Later, he presented the following awards to the winners:
Awards for print media journalists: Mubarak Zeb Khan of Dawn was presented the award for his story investigating the extent of tax fraud and corruption.
Zahid Gishkori of The Express Tribune, a publishing partner of International Herald Tribune received the award for his report on the Airblue plane crash investigation.
Awards for Electronic Media Journalists: Masood Raza of Geo TV received the award for his reporting on the prevalence of the narcotic gutka and the lack of enforcement on its ban.
Uneeba Waqar, also from Geo got the award for her reports on the heroin market and the energy crisis.
Zakia Manzoor of Samaa TV bagged the award for highlighting the social obstacles a woman faces in obtaining divorce.
The submissions were judged on the basis of professionalism and impact with regard to how the reporting serves public interest by advancing public policy discussion and strengthening government accountability to the public.
The criteria are inspired by the prestigious Michener Awards for meritorious public service journalism in Canada.
Eminent Pakistani journalists Azhar Abbas, Mariana Babar, Moeed Pirzada, Murtaza Solangi and Najam Sethi and Canadian journalist, a resident in Pakistan, Kathy Gannon designed this award and reviewed the submissions with the support of the Canadian High Commission.
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.
October 30, 2025: NewsOne TV remains on air but faces mass layoffs and delayed salaries, exposing Pakistan’s worsening media crisis and financial instability.
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.
October 31, 2025 Radio Free Asia, a US government-funded broadcaster covering tightly controlled Asian media environments, has suspended all news operations after federal funding dried up.