Journalist Shahbaz Rana indicted despite factual report, unions say

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 3 months ago |  JP Staff Report

ISLAMABAD — Leading journalist bodies have voiced strong concern over what they describe as an unfair trial of senior journalist Shahbaz Rana, who has been indicted by a local court despite filing a report based on official records.

In an emergency meeting at the National Press Club, office-bearers of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) condemned the proceedings, saying they failed to meet fair trial requirements.

According to a statement, participants expressed dismay that Rana faces trial following a complaint by a Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) official, who alleged the journalist’s report was defamatory and scandalous. The journalist community, however, maintains that Rana’s reporting relied entirely on official documents and was later corroborated by factual evidence.

The unions announced plans to stage protests against what they called a “biased trial”.

Prominent journalist Shahzeb Khanzada also weighed in on X (formerly Twitter), defending Rana’s work. “Let professional journalists like Shahbaz Rana, who do independent reporting based on facts, do their work. If you criminalize such journalists and turn journalism into a crime, then in this country, only spokespersons of political parties disguised as journalists will remain,” he wrote.

The case has deepened concerns among media advocates who say targeting journalists for factual reporting undermines press freedom in Pakistan.