How Pakistan’s military intimidates journalists and silences dissent, according to press watchdog
Press freedom group says the Pakistan military has established ‘lines of control’ to pressure the media, and journalists who push back or are critical are sometimes attacked, threatened or arrested
Pakistan’s military is using fear and intimidation to stifle the media and undermine press freedom even as overall violence against reporters has fallen, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Wednesday.
The press freedom group said the military had established “lines of control” to pressure the media, and journalists who pushed back or were too critical were attacked, threatened or arrested.
“The military has quietly, but effectively, set restrictions on reporting: from barring access to regions … to encouraging self-censorship through direct and indirect methods of intimidation, including … allegedly instigating violence against reporters,” the CPJ said in a report.
The military routinely denies interference in politics or with the media. Its information wing could not be reached for comment by telephone nor did it respond to text messages seeking comment on the report.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said no media complaints about intimidation had been lodged with his ministry but if they were, they would be investigated.
