Nahian Arefin: Pakis-tani journalists complained that they are being silenced, beaten up badly and harassed frequently. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) revealed the news, expressing concern about the grim scenario of the country.
The CPJ decided to publish a state of press freedom in Pakistan which titled ‘Acts of Intimidation’ on September 12.
Several journalists and analysts expressed concern about the inaction by the judiciary in dealing with the silencing of the press which has led to an environment of fear as well as self-censorship.
“Journalists are silent. Slowly journalism is dying out in Pakistan,” a female journalist told CPJ.
A brutally attacked journalist said, “It was not a matter of merely an attack on me, it was a message to the whole journalist community.”
Zohra Yusuf, Vice President of Human Rights Commission told CPJ that Pakistani journalists are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the military and the judiciary.
Since 1992, almost 60 journalists were killed in Pakistan and among them, 30 were murdered with immunity, according to data by CPJ.
Many Pakistani journalists, including Gul Bukhari, Asad Kharal,Marvi Simred & Taha Siddiqui, have been brutally attacked. Marvi Simred was attacked in her residence in June and her laptop, documents and other valuables were seized.
Pakistan has been frequently ranked low in the United Nations Press Fredom Index. The current rank of the country is 139 out of 180 countries.
Source: Voice of America
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