JournalismPakistan.com | Published last month | JP Staff Report
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ISLAMABAD — Prominent journalist and television anchor Samina Pasha says her bank account has been frozen on the orders of Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), calling it part of an escalating effort to silence independent journalists.
In a video message shared on social media, Pasha alleged that journalists are being systematically targeted. “Speaking the truth comes at a cost,” she said. “We were first made jobless and forced to sit at home. Now the state is going further, using new tactics to silence us.”
She explained that she discovered her account had been blocked when she attempted to withdraw cash from an ATM. “The bank informed me that following a complaint from NCCIA, my only functional account was frozen,” she said.
Pasha added that she had been told of “seven or eight complaints” registered against her, but had received no official notice. “When there is no respect for the law and constitution, this is what happens,” she remarked.
The move, she said, will directly affect her only remaining source of income. “I lost my job last October and have been at home for a year. Whenever I tried to find work, I was told there was no clearance to hire me. Now even my YouTube income will be blocked because of the frozen account.
“She said the timing of this ‘attack’ was especially cruel, coming just as her father is due to undergo surgery — a time when the family urgently needs funds.”
Pasha, who previously anchored with GNN TV, resigned in October 2024 after citing pressure from unnamed quarters unhappy with her political analysis. At that time, she said she was left with two options: “either change my stance or quit.” She chose to resign, insisting that her integrity was not for sale.
Despite the mounting professional and financial obstacles, Pasha insisted she remains unafraid: “Allah is the best provider.”
Her claims add to broader concerns from press freedom advocates, who warn that Pakistani journalists are increasingly facing financial and legal pressure in addition to job blacklisting, part of a growing pattern of media suppression.
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