The 'Under Attack' page documents and highlights instances of violence, threats, and intimidation against journalists, news organizations, and press clubs across Pakistan since 2012. This section aims to shed light on the challenges media professionals face, their resilience in the face of adversity, and the broader implications for press freedom in the region. Some of the images in this section are graphic.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
November 28, 2024: Senior journalist Matiullah Jan has been abducted in Islamabad while investigating PTI protest deaths. Rights lawyers have filed a habeas corpus petition as charges of drug possession and terrorism spark outrage.
May 26, 2022: PTI supporters attack Jang/Geo offices in Islamabad & other cities amid D-Chowk protests—DSNG vans damaged, stones hurled amid anti-media slogans. Political-media tensions escalate.
May 16, 2022: Journalist Zahid Abbas Malik disappears in Lahore amid suspected agency involvement. PFUJ, press clubs demand action as nationwide protests loom over Pakistan's press freedom crisis.
April 30, 2022: DawnNews anchor Adil Shahzeb faces death threats & harassment, allegedly from PTI leaders. Journalists rally behind him as #JournalismIsNotACrime trends. Details on the escalating media safety crisis.
April 17, 2022: PTI supporters harass journalists, including women reporters, at Imran Khan's Karachi rally. Samaa TV's Zam Zam Saeed shares footage of abuse—cameraman injured, shirts torn. Media outcry grows.
March 15, 2022: Haripur Press Club President Zakir Tanoli attacked by masked assailants—struck with knives and pistol butts after chili powder assault. Journalists demand immediate action.
February 16, 2022: FIA arrests journalist Mohsin Jamil Baig after Islamabad raid over alleged cybercrime violations. The incident followed Murad Saeed's complaint under PECA 2016. Details on the confrontation and charges.
February 15, 2022: ARY News host Iqrar ul Hassan was allegedly tortured by security officials in Karachi after exposing an IB inspector's corruption. Hospitalized in critical condition—details on the attack and media freedom concerns.
November 25, 2021: Female journalist Ambreen Fatima, wife of investigative reporter Ahmad Noorani, was attacked by unidentified assailants in Lahore, leading to damage to her car and threats against her.
November 21, 2021: Amir Wasim, Chief Reporter for Dawn newspaper, reported being chased by unknown individuals after leaving FAFEN's office. The incident is linked to a controversial anti-government journalists convention and allegations against FAFEN.
August 14, 2021: Tribal journalist Gohar Mehsud was assaulted outside the National Press Club in Islamabad. While the attacker was arrested, journalists and the public demand greater safety and accountability for media professionals.
July 21, 2021: Journalist Mehrab Shah Afridi from Khyber District has faced threats inside the Landi Kotal Press Club after an interview with MPA Shafiq Sher Afridi. Journalists across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have condemned the intimidation and called for protection.
July 07, 2021: Rahim Yar Khan Police allegedly tortured senior journalist Asghar Jaffery while in custody, causing him to lose sight in one eye. Local journalists staged a protest, leading to his release and the suspension of an ASI.
May 26, 2021: Journalist Asad Ali Toor was brutally attacked by unidentified men inside his Islamabad apartment. Toor sustained severe injuries and is undergoing treatment. The assailants questioned him about his funding sources before fleeing the scene.
April 20, 2021: Senior journalist and former PEMRA chairman, Absar Alam, survived a gun attack near his home in Islamabad. Alam, a vocal critic of the PTI government and military, remains in high spirits and unshaken by the attack.
January 21, 2021: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemns the brutal attack on senior journalist G.N Mughal in Hyderabad, urging the immediate arrest of the culprits and demanding protection for journalists from the provincial and federal governments.
January 18, 2021: Geo News cameraperson Nasir Mughal was assaulted by handcuffed accused and their lawyers while covering the Barrister Fahad Malik murder case outside an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad. Journalists condemned the attack, urging immediate action.
December 12, 2020: ARY News anchor Iqrar ul Hassan was attacked and injured by unidentified assailants in the Defence neighborhood. The attackers fired at his vehicle before physically assaulting him in front of K Block Police Station. Hassan sustained injuries to his face and body.
November 05, 2020: Journalist Bayazid Khan Kharoti has accused Balochistan's Chief Minister of orchestrating his abduction in Quetta. In a social media video, Kharoti claimed he was held in illegal confinement for eight hours before being released to the police.