Protect Journalists | Pakistan

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and 17 other press freedom and human rights organisations on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take immediate steps to “uphold the country’s constitutional and international obligations” to protect press freedom. In a joint letter addressed to the premier, they said they were writing to express “deep concern regarding the sustained deterioration of media freedom in Pakistan”. The letter was endorsed by Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute, Forum Asia, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and the Freedom Network, among other local and international groups. The letter said that the recent legal and institutional developments, alongside “persistent failures” to ensure accountability for attacks on journalists, had contributed to a worsening environment for members of the media in Pakistan. “We urge your government to take immediate action to uphold Pakistan’s obligations under the Constitut...