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 7 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
Two senior journalists faced attack and abduction within a few hours in Lahore, highlighting the tough situation for the media ahead of the parliamentary elections.
Journalist Asad Kharal was attacked by armed masked men, and Gul Bukhari was abducted and briefly detained by unidentified men in two separate incidents on June 5 night.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the attack and abduction of journalists in Pakistan and demanded urgent action to arrest and punish the attackers. The IFJ also urged the Pakistani authorities to ensure safety to media and journalists in the run-up to the election scheduled for July 25.
Senior investigative journalist Asad Kharal, associated with BOL TV Network, was attacked near the Allama Iqbal International Airport in the wee hours of Wednesday, June 6. Kharal was on his way home when his vehicle was intercepted; he was dragged out and assaulted. Kharal was then moved to Lahore Services Hospital for treatment of injuries he received on his neck. Kharal is known as a critic of the previous government.
A few hours earlier, prominent British-Pakistani journalist and activist Gul Bukhari, known for criticizing Pakistani army, was briefly abducted by unidentified men. Bukhari was on her way to the Waqt TV studio for a show when the TV vehicle was intercepted and she was abducted on Sherpao Bridge in Lahore’s Cantonment area at around 11:00 pm on June 5. She returned home safely after three hours. She is contributing Op-Ed writer at The Nation and appears as an analyst on Waqt TV show ‘2vs2’.
She later tweeted: “I would like to express my deep gratitude and love to my friends, family, colleagues & supporters in civil society, journalism and politics across the board, for coming together in solidarity out of concern for my well-being last night. I am well, and would request privacy for myself and my family at this stage.”
The IFJ said: “The IFJ condemns the attack on journalist Asad Kharal; and abduction of journalist Gul Bukhari in Lahore, Pakistan. These incidents once again highlighted the grave situation under which the journalists perform their duties in Pakistan and the authorities’ failure to provide security or justice to them. The IFJ demands immediate action to arrest and punish those involved in the incidents; and stepped up security measures to protect journalists ahead of the parliamentary election. ” - IFJ media release/Photo: Twitter (@HamidMirPAK)
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.