Pakistan’s Journalist Safety Laws ‘Only on Paper’, Finds Freedom Network Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s journalist safety laws risk staying “on paper” unless the federal and provincial safety commissions get stronger powers, accessible complaint systems and the resources to deliver timely protection. That is the verdict of a new report by Freedom Network, a media watchdog, released on Wednesday.
The report, titled “From safety on paper to safety in practice”, assesses two commissions: one set up by the federal government and one by the Sindh government. The Islamabad-based Freedom Network produced the research with help from International Media Support.
Journalist safety laws Pakistan: what the report found
Parliament passed two special laws in 2022 to fight impunity for crimes against journalists and the media. The federal and Sindh governments then set up commissions to enforce them. The report, authored by Minahil Shahab and Adnan Rehmat, examined the commissions’ capacity and limits through stakeholder consultations, interviews and an online survey of around 40 working journalists in Sindh, including reporters from rural areas.
The survey found that 70 per cent of respondents knew a provincial protection law existed. But 65 per cent of them did not know where to find the commission’s office, its website or a complaint route.
Sixty-five per cent of the respondents said they had faced work-related threats or interference since 2021. The report notes these findings describe the surveyed group rather than province-wide prevalence.
Half the respondents pointed the finger at employers. Fifty-one per cent said their employers had not told them about safety procedures, emergency contacts, insurance, legal assistance or complaint mechanisms. The Sindh commission’s chairperson separately reported that 44 media outlets had not replied to the commission’s queries.
Two commissions, two sets of problems
The assessment found distinct institutional challenges at each commission. Kamal Uddin Tipu, the federal commission’s chairperson, spoke of staffing, budget and administrative constraints during the research. With the federal commission now operational, the report says the priority is to give it the people, resources and complaint systems needed for timely protection and follow-up.
In Sindh, the report documents an established body with premises, meetings, complaints and engagement with police and media organisations. But union representatives and non-official members described delayed responses, limited outreach beyond Karachi and heavy dependence on police replies.
The Sindh commission’s chairperson, Aijaz Ahmed Memon, disputed the suggestion that journalists lacked trust in the institution. He reported improvements in coordination, case activity and outreach plans.
What the report recommends
The recommendations include confidential and accessible complaint routes, urgent risk assessment for threatened reporters, designated caseworkers, police escalation procedures, stronger employer cooperation and the publication of anonymised outcomes and spending.
The report also says any amendments to the laws must be framed carefully to address documented legal barriers. Freedom Network called for coordinated action by governments, commissions, police, media employers and journalist organisations so that reporters under threat can get effective help when they need it.
The findings echo a wider pattern in Pakistan’s media regulation debate. Parliamentary oversight of media bodies remains active, as seen when a Senate panel recently pressed the electronic media regulator on advertising standards, reported here. Commissions with real enforcement teeth are also in the news this week: the Islamabad High Court is hearing a challenge to the top appointments at the accountability bureau’s leadership, covered separately.
Why it matters
Laws without working complaint systems leave reporters to face threats alone. The report’s core message is that Pakistan has built the legal shell for journalist protection but has not yet funded, staffed or empowered the machinery inside it. Until that changes, the safety laws will protect journalists in name only.
*Source: Dawn*
What did the Freedom Network report find?
It found that Pakistan’s journalist safety laws risk remaining “on paper” because the federal and Sindh safety commissions lack adequate powers, accessible complaint mechanisms and resources for timely protection.
How many journalists reported threats?
Sixty-five per cent of the surveyed journalists in Sindh said they had faced work-related threats or interference since 2021, though the report notes this describes the surveyed group, not the whole province.
What are the report’s main recommendations?
It calls for confidential complaint routes, urgent risk assessment, designated caseworkers, police escalation procedures, stronger employer cooperation and publication of anonymised case outcomes and spending.
