Protecting the watchdogs

Pakistani journalists continue to work in one of the world's most dangerous media environments, according to several local and international press-related NGOs and monitoring groups. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) regularly ranks Pakistan among the deadliest countries for reporters, with dozens killed in the past two decades, but barely any prosecutions or convictions to show. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) similarly documents persistent physical attacks, death threats, harassment and digital surveillance. The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) records dozens of cases each year - from beatings and abductions to pressure on media owners to silence critical coverage. These threats are not just dangers for journalists, but also detrimental to all Pakistanis, as the public's right to know is being eroded.

The threats themselves range from non-state armed groups targeting journalists to political and economic pressures - including advertising boycotts, licensing leverage and legal harassment - which have forced newsrooms to self-censor. Digital intimidation, including hacking and online smear campaigns, increasingly follows reporters home. The common thread is impunity, because when attacks go uninvestigated and unpunished, they embolden further violence. CPJ's impunity index has repeatedly highlighted Pakistan's failure to bring the killers of journalists to justice.

Safety requires more than condemnations. The federal and provincial governments should establish independent, adequately funded protection mechanisms that are approved by journalist unions. The police must treat attacks on journalists as attacks on democratic accountability, with transparent investigations and witness protection. The judiciary should also expedite hearings of cases involving violence against journalists.

Journalists are the public's eyes and ears. A free press is not a threat to stability, but rather a precondition for good governance in a democracy.