Karachi
The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) held the inaugural meeting of its Press Freedom and Monitoring Committee for the term 2025–26, wherein serious concern was expressed over the current state of press freedom across the country.
The meeting, presided over by Committee Chairman Mr Maqsood Yousufi, was convened via video link and attended by committee members representing various cities. The participants deliberated extensively upon the issues and untoward incidents affecting press freedom between 3rd May and 31st July 2025.
Chairman Mr Yousufi reaffirmed that freedom of expression is a constitutional right of the people, one that is fundamental to the growth of democratic values and the opening of pathways to national progress. Suppressing constructive thought, he cautioned, leads societies towards intellectual stagnation.
He urged the government to refrain from imposing restrictions on freedom of expression and called for constitutional protection to be ensured not only from state apparatus but also from non-state actors, so that both the state’s narrative and journalists’ professional contributions can flourish in tandem. This dual reinforcement, he said, is indispensable to the consolidation of democratic norms in the country.
Mr Yousufi further announced that the Press Freedom and Monitoring Committee will convene monthly, with the express purpose of effectively overseeing and identifying matters pertaining to press freedom and the broader right to free expression.
Representatives from various cities endorsed the Chairman’s resolve to hold monthly sessions and assured the CPNE Secretariat of their full cooperation in reporting incidents and developments related to press freedom and freedom of expression arising in their respective regions.
