Attack on Pakistani journalists worry rights groups pajhwok.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pajhwok.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
You may not be aware, but a long-running effort to deny you access to independent information is culminating. The state's attempts to control the media are blatant and blunt. If they succeed, Pakistan will be authoritarian in all but name.
May 31, 2021
The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is alarmed by and concerned about the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority Ordinance (2021) proposed by the Government of Pakistan, that seeks to centralize all media regulatory structures in Pakistan and create a ‘converged’ regulatory authority. This proposed ordinance will have a devastating effect on free speech and press freedom in Pakistan and all efforts in this direction must cease immediately.
In a country where the media already functions within a restrictive environment, with a limited space for free expression, the proposed centralization of regulatory structures will lead to further control of the media and further shrink the space for media freedom. PPF believes this proposed ordinance will grant the authorities tools to further control the media narrative and undermine the media’s ability to provide free and independent coverage.