ISLAMABAD: Violations against journalists in Pakistan jumped nearly 60 percent over the past year, a media watchdog said on Thursday, warning of a "worsening environment" for press freedom under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government.
The findings are part of the Annual State of Impunity Report 2025 by Freedom Network, a Pakistan-based media rights and civil liberties organization that monitors and advocates for press freedom, journalist safety, and digital rights across the country. The report has been produced with support from International Media Support (IMS) and was released ahead of the UN-designated International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2.
Freedom Network documented at least 142 cases of violations against journalists and media professionals between November 2024 and September 2025, a nearly 60 percent rise from the previous year. In the watchdog's framework, “violations” include physical assaults, legal cases, harassment and censorship against journalists and media workers, covering both physical and non-physical threats to press freedom.
The report noted that 36 legal cases were filed against 30 journalists under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and Pakistan Penal Code, many in Punjab province, the country's most populous and richest region. The government amended PECA in early 2025 to make its punitive provisions harsher, prompting concern from rights groups that it is being used to target dissenting voices online. The government denies this.
