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 9 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in condemning the abduction of Abid Abdullah, the executive director of Jang Group media house, on September 28 in Peshawar. He was released later the same day. The IFJ has demanded urgent action from the Pakistan government urging them to arrest his abductors and create a safe environment for media persons.
Abdullah was kidnapped by at least eight armed men in the early hours of September 28 while returning to his hotel after finishing his work at the Jang Group printing press in Hayatabad Industrial Estate. The abductors intercepted his car, took him and his driver hostage at gunpoint as three gunmen occupied their car.
Abdullah’s driver Zafar Hussein was released by the abductors who whisked Abdullah away in another waiting vehicle. According to Hussein, the gunmen said to Abdullah: “You are our guests, we will go to your hotel and take tea.” They also refused Abdullah’s offer of ransom money and said “other senior journalists will become our guests soon’.
Abdullah was set free later in the evening and was reported to be recovering from the trauma of the ordeal. Details on the motive behind the abduction and conditions on which he was set free were not available immediately.
Condemning the abduction of Abid Abdullah, the PFUJ said, “The incident has once again terrorised the media community. We demand the federal government to take steps to provide security to working journalists.”
Also condemning the abduction of a senior media executive, the IFJ said, “The IFJ is deeply concerned about safety of journalists in Pakistan. Media persons in Pakistan are working under very unsafe environment where attacks and threats to them are common, and the danger is highlighted by Abdullah’s abduction.”
According to IFJ records, 117 media workers have been killed in Pakistan since 1993, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world to work as a journalist. - IFJ media release
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.