LANDIKOTAL
\nTo mark the International Day to end impunity on November 2, Freedom Network released its annual report with alarming indicators that the year 2024 has been catastrophic for journalists in Pakistan as impunity report\u201d revealed alarming statistics of journalists brutal murders and harassment in the past one year.
\nFreedom Network on Saturday released its report stateting that six media professionals have been murdered including a well-known YouTuber and a staggering 57 violations of press freedom have been documented.
\nThe report paints a grim picture of a nation where targeted killings and brutal assaults have become common place and the legal frameworks designed to protect journalists remain largely ineffective.
\nFreedom Network said that despite the passage of the Sindh protection of journalists and other media practitioners bill 2021 and the federal protection of journalists and media professionals Act 2021,these laws have failed to provide the promised safeguards.
\nFreedom Network executive director Iqbal Khattak emphasized that the dire consequences of a lack of political will and resources, warning that without robust enforcement mechanisms, journalists would continue to operate in an environment fraught with danger.
\nIqbal Khattak said that the report from November 2023 to August 2024, there were 11 assassination and threats attempts on journalists were recorded in Pakistan. He said the attacks included five confirmed murders and threats against various media personnel.
\nHe said Sindh province topped the list for violations, accounting for 37% of all reported cases, while Punjab and Islamabad followed with significant figures of their own.
\n\u201cDisturbingly, 30 of the documented cases targeted television journalists, illustrating the precarious situation faced by those in broadcast media\u201d,Iqbal Khattak said.
\nHe added that the newly introduced \u201cMedia Impunity Index\u201d evaluated the progress in combating impunity across federal and provincial levels. Adding that Sindh received a score of nine out of ten for legislative efforts, both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa languished at just two points, highlighting a stark disparity in commitment to journalist safety across the country.
\nThe annual report highlighted that with an average of six violations reported each month, the urgency for a coordinated response from the state, media, and civil society was palpable.
\nIt further explained that the ongoing delay in establishing a safety commission for journalists has exacerbated the crisis, leading to a heightened sense of vulnerability among media professionals.
\nDespite some encouraging legal victories in courts, Iqbal Khattak said, the overarching threat of violence looms large, casting a shadow over Pakistan\u2019s journalistic landscape.
\nIqbal Khattak stressed to take action for greater protections and accountability in Pakistan\u2019s media has never been more critical.
\nThe Freedom Network\u2019s report served as a clarion call for urgent reforms and a renewed commitment to safeguard press freedom in the face of escalating violence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LANDIKOTAL To mark the International Day to end impunity on November 2, Freedom Network released its annual report with alarming indicators that the year 2024 has been catastrophic for journalists in Pakistan as impunity report\u201d revealed alarming statistics of journalists brutal murders and harassment in the past one year. Freedom Network on Saturday released its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-441246","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n