Journalism is lost in Balochistan, Freedom Network study finds

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 1 hour ago |  JP Staff Report

A Freedom Network study says journalism in Balochistan faces censorship, violence, and economic decline, leaving citizens with limited access to credible information and a severely constrained media environment.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — Journalism in Pakistan’s Balochistan province is no longer free, with reporters facing sustained pressure, intimidation, and violence from multiple actors, according to a new research report released by media watchdog Freedom Network.

The study concludes that enforced and self-censorship have become widespread survival strategies for journalists in the province, significantly limiting citizens’ access to credible and independent information.

Media freedoms under sustained pressure

Titled Journalism in Balochistan: State of Media Freedoms, Access to Information and Safety of Journalists and Media Professionals in Balochistan – Way Forward, the report examines threats to free speech, legal challenges, service structures, gender dynamics, censorship, harassment, and dismissals from media employment.

The report is part of a broader Freedom Network series on media freedoms in Pakistan’s peripheral regions. Previous studies covered the Merged Tribal Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, South Punjab, Central and Northern Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

A shrinking and fragile media economy

According to the findings, security conditions, governance challenges, economic constraints, and demographic realities have shaped a fragile media ecosystem in Balochistan. Local outlets remain structurally peripheral to national media agendas, digitally disadvantaged, and financially weak.

The report notes that Pakistan’s electronic media expanded rapidly after 2002 under the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, but Balochistan’s regional media footprint remained thin. National television channels and newspapers have reduced bureau presence in Quetta, while coverage outside the provincial capital is described as sparse or nonexistent.

The province lacks a terrestrial current affairs television channel. State-run outlets such as Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan operate mainly from urban centers, with limited transmission reach into remote areas due to terrain and infrastructure challenges. On the private side, the Balochi-language satellite channel Vsh News operates from Karachi, while FM radio stations face coverage limits imposed by regulators that are ill-suited to Balochistan’s vast geography.

Print media remains concentrated in Quetta and is constrained by costs, distance, and low literacy rates in rural areas. Of more than 120 periodicals listed with the provincial Directorate General of Public Relations, the report estimates that only around a dozen daily newspapers have meaningful readership, with many outlets existing largely to access government advertising.

Digital divide, shutdowns, and rising risks

The report highlights a stark digital divide. While Pakistan had an estimated 116 million internet users at the start of 2025, Balochistan’s internet penetration stood at about 15 percent, with around 60 percent of the province lacking fiber connectivity.

Prolonged and localized internet shutdowns, sometimes lasting weeks or months, have further isolated communities and impeded reporting. The study cites shutdowns in districts such as Panjgur and Khuzdar as examples of how connectivity disruptions compound information gaps and create unequal digital realities within the country.

Social media has become a critical tool for newsgathering and distribution, but the report warns it also exposes journalists and citizen reporters to surveillance, content takedowns, and retaliation from both state and non-state actors.

Threats to journalists and gender barriers persist

Journalists in Balochistan face threats from separatist and militant groups, security and intelligence agencies, political and tribal elites, and mobs, the report states. Over the past two decades, 40 journalists have been killed in the province, with most cases involving targeted killings and no recorded convictions.

The study also documents severe challenges for women journalists, who remain few in number and are largely confined to Quetta. According to the findings, women face restrictions on mobility, hostile field conditions, newsroom discrimination, pay gaps, lack of basic facilities, and harassment. Editors often bar women from district reporting assignments on safety grounds, reinforcing gender barriers within the profession.

Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak said the findings should prompt urgent attention from all stakeholders. In a press release issued with the report, he said the goal was to help reverse the decline in media freedoms and improve safety so citizens can access reliable information.

KEY POINTS:

• Freedom Network says journalism in Balochistan is no longer free due to censorship and intimidation
• The report documents pressure from both state and non-state actors on journalists
• Media outlets in the province face severe financial and structural constraints
• Internet shutdowns and low connectivity deepen information gaps
• Women journalists face compounded professional and social barriers

ATTRIBUTION: Based on a press release and research report issued by Freedom Network on December 28, 2025.

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only