ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has urged the federal and provincial governments to take immediate and concrete steps to protect journalists amid a sharp rise in crimes targeting media professionals across the country.
In a joint statement marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari said the number of cases involving violence, intimidation, and harassment of journalists had increased by nearly 60 per cent over the past year, with 142 incidents reported between November 2024 and September 2025.
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They warned that this “climate of fear and intimidation” undermines press freedom and the public’s right to information. The union demanded swift investigations, prosecutions, and legal accountability for all crimes against journalists, along with measures to create a safe environment for media workers nationwide.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his message on the occasion, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to protecting press freedom and ensuring the safety of journalists. “We will take all necessary measures to guarantee effective investigation of crimes against journalists, deliver justice, and ensure legal action against the perpetrators,” he said, calling press freedom “vital to democracy and truth.”
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Meanwhile, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) criticised the government over what it termed a “systematic campaign to silence dissent.” PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram described Punjab and Islamabad as the most dangerous regions for journalists, warning that the ongoing crackdown on media workers marks “one of the most repressive chapters in Pakistan’s democratic history.”