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 11 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD: Representatives of the Committee to Protect Journalists called the conviction of six defendants accused of killing a Pakistani journalist a significant step toward ensuring reporters' safety, but said Wednesday that more needed to be done in one of the world's most dangerous countries for the press.
A delegation from the New York-based organization traveled to Pakistan to draw attention to the dangers journalists in the country face and met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss ways the government could work to protect the media.
On March 3, a court convicted six men of killing a television reporter, a rare case of someone being held accountable for a journalist's slaying. Last year, Pakistan ranked eighth on the organization's "impunity index," which ranks countries according to incidents where journalists are killed and their attackers are not prosecuted.
Joel Simon, the committee's executive director, said the last conviction for a journalist killing in Pakistan was in connection with the 2002 kidnapping and slaying of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl. He called the March conviction in the death of Wali Babar Khan, who was working for Geo TV in Karachi, very significant.
"We want to see more convictions. We have very concrete suggestions on how those could be achieved," he said.
Simon said Sharif said he would take specific steps to bolster prosecutions such as protecting witnesses or changing trial venues.
Kati Marton, a member of the watchdog's board, said the meeting with Sharif was "very productive" and that he seemed committed to improving the climate for journalists.
The prime minister said in a statement that he is creating a commission of government officials, media leaders and public figures to propose ways to protect journalists in the field and to monitor the prosecution of crimes against journalists.
The group also discussed with the prime minister the expulsion last year of New York Times journalist Declan Walsh and the slow process journalists face to get visas to come to Pakistan, Marton said. - AP
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.