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 8 years ago | Daud Malik
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD: Veteran journalist Zahid Hussain (pictured) Saturday deplored that a section of the media was labeling the missing bloggers and all those demanding their recovery as “blasphemers and traitors — something that could sound their death knell”.
In his weekly column in Dawn, Hussain said the media was trying to be both judge and jury in such cases. “Those who embark on a witch-hunt labeling people who question their credentials and rival channels as anti-state and accuse them of working on a foreign agenda are playing with fire. Everything then becomes ‘right’ in this no-holds-barred war of the channels.”
He added that this new and dangerous trend of media vigilantism raises questions about the misuse of freedom of expression endangering the lives and freedom of others.
He also questioned the values and professional ethics being spawned by channels that have provided some anchors the platform they need for often pursuing their own agenda. He warned that the flame of bigotry can also burn down media houses.
He termed the rise of electronic media a double-edged sword. “While being the most effective means of disseminating information and for inculcating social and political awareness in all segments of society that are within its phenomenal reach, it is also often used as an instrument for disinformation and falsifying the facts.”
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.