Pakistan's Journalist Safety Laws 'Fail to Deliver', Watchdog Report Finds

A press photographer at work (file photo)

Pakistan's landmark laws to protect journalists are failing in practice, a new report by media watchdog Freedom Network has found, with the protection commissions set up by the federal and Sindh governments lacking authority, funding and accessible complaint systems. The report, titled “From Safety on Paper to Safety in Practice”, was covered by Dawn.

The findings are stark: while 70 per cent of surveyed journalists knew about Sindh's journalist protection law, 65 per cent did not know where the commission's office was or how to reach it — and 65 per cent said they had faced professional threats or interference since 2021. Federal commission chairman Kamal Uddin Tipu blamed staffing shortages and budgetary limits. Pakistan's parliament passed two dedicated laws in 2022 to end impunity for crimes against journalists, but the watchdog says they remain mostly on paper.

The research, conducted with support from International Media Support and led by researchers Minahil Shahab and Adnan Rehmat, drew on interviews and a survey of around 40 working journalists in Sindh. It warns that without real power and money behind the commissions, the promise of safety will keep failing the reporters it was meant to protect.

Source: Dawn — read more

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