LANDIKOTAL
\nOn the eve of the international day to end impunity for crimes against journalists the world impunity report 2025 released by Freedom Network(FN) revealed that at least five journalists were killed and 104 others faced different forms of violence, threats and legal harassment across Pakistan between November 2024 and September 2025.
\nTalking to The News Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak said that journalists continue to face increasing pressure from both state and non-state actors, while impunity for crimes against media professionals remains alarmingly high. He said the report documented five killings including four male and one female journalist while more than a hundred other cases of intimidation, abduction, physical assault, arbitrary detention and digital harassment during the last 11-month period were reported.
\nFreedom Network in its report explained that the attacks were most frequently reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab, while Islamabad remained a hotspot for legal harassment and surveillance of journalists. The tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly the former FATA region, witnessed several cases of intimidation by militant groups and local authorities.
\nIqbal Khattak said the main perpetrators behind these attacks included state officials, political groups, militant organizations and criminal elements.
\n\u201cMost of the victims are targeted for exposing corruption, militancy and human rights violations,\u201d he said.Adding those journalists covering sensitive topics in conflict zones incmuding district Khyber continued to work under constant threat to their safety.
\nThe Freedom Network also highlighted growing misuse of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), under which journalists and digital media activists were booked or investigated for online expression. The report warned that new amendments to the law have further expanded the powers of regulatory bodies to block content and initiate criminal proceedings, threatening the independence of the media.
\n\u201cJournalists in Pakistan are working under unprecedented pressure,\u201d The misuse of cybercrime laws and the absence of accountability for attacks on journalists have created a climate of fear and self-censorship.<\/p>\n
The impunity encourages more violence.\u201dsaid Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak.
\nThe report underlined that Pakistan remained among the world\u2019s most dangerous countries for journalists. Since 2012, more than fifty journalists have been murdered, yet only a few cases have seen partial convictions while most of the killers and masterminds remain at large.
\nFreedom Network warned that this continuing impunity emboldens perpetrators and weakens public trust in justice institutions.
\nIqbal Khattak urged the government to strengthen the federal and provincial journalist safety commissions, fully implement journalist protection laws and ensure effective coordination between law enforcement agencies and media organizations to prevent further violence.He also called for the restoration of the commission for the protection of journalists and media professionals to investigate cases of violence and intimidation against media workers.
\nHe said that without genuine political will, legislative reform and institutional accountability, the state of press freedom in Pakistan would continue to deteriorate.
\nIt emphasized in the Freedom Network report that ensuring justice for murdered and threatened journalists was essential for restoring confidence in democratic values and protecting the right to free expression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LANDIKOTAL On the eve of the international day to end impunity for crimes against journalists the world impunity report 2025 released by Freedom Network(FN) revealed that at least five journalists were killed and 104 others faced different forms of violence, threats and legal harassment across Pakistan between November 2024 and September 2025. Talking to The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":513451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-513408","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n