2020 'worst year in Pakistan's history' for press freedom, journalists' union says

Pakistani journalists and civil society activists hold placards against the attack on Ahmed Noorani, a senior journalist of a local newspaper who was beaten by unknown attackers on motorbikes on October 26, during a protest in Karachi on October 28, 2017. (AFP/File)
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Updated 01 January 2021
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2020 'worst year in Pakistan's history' for press freedom, journalists' union says

  • Government says “firmly” believes in media freedom, expects journalists to “uphold best journalistic practices” while covering stories
  • Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists announces nationwide campaign against censorship and layoffs, says its members will go on hunger strike in all provincial capitals from next week

Islamabad: A federal union of Pakistani journalists has announced nationwide protests against censorship and mass layoffs, saying its members will go on hunger strike in all provincial capitals from next week against a year that has been the “worst” in history for the nation’s media. 
Journalists and rights groups say the government’s relations with the press and broadcasters have become increasingly strained since Prime Minister Imran Khan took office in 2018. The government denies it censors the media.
Journalists’ complaints range from direct edicts to editors and producers not to air or publish news critical of the government or the military, the suppression of opposition political voices, pulling TV stations from transmission or newspapers from circulation and targeting the advertising revenue of dissenting media. Newspapers and news channels across the country have announced mass layoffs in recent months as advertising funding and revenues have dried up. 
“This government has virtually strangled all journalists by tightening its hold on media houses,” Shahzada Zulfiqar, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), told Arab News. “2020 has been the worst year in Pakistan’s history for freedom of press.” 
He said at least four journalists had been killed this year while hundreds were laid off and more than two dozen were facing court cases for covering stories critical of the government.
Pakistan ranked 145th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) in April this year.
Senator Faisal Javed Khan, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, and a senior member of PM Khan’s ruling party, denied the government was censoring the media, saying it “firmly” believed in press freedom and was in fact trying to help journalists and media organizations cover stories independently. 
“Our government firmly believes in freedom of press and freedom of expression, and we keep trying to ensure it at levels to the best of our capacity,” the senator said. “We believe genuine journalists can play an effective role in curbing misinformation and help segregate propaganda from the facts.” 
“Independent media is also vital for democracy and rule of law in the country,” Khan said. “Therefore, we also expect journalists to uphold the best journalistic practices while covering stories.”
But journalists and rights groups say the government’s idea of “best practices” increasingly means pushing favorable coverage and cracking down on dissent, including through new rules and the existing Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA).
Last year, Pakistan’s government approved new rules to regulate cyberspace, giving the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) “removal and blocking” powers of digital content that “harms, intimidates or excites disaffection” toward the government or poses a threat to the “integrity, security and defense of Pakistan.”
Many journalists have complained of receiving notices from the cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for social media posts that “defamed” the army or the government. 
“The state had charged me for doing propaganda against state institutions on social media, which was totally frivolous,” Asad Ali Toor, a journalist who was charged under PECA in September, told Arab News. “The purpose was just to harass me and send a message to other journalists as well who are vocal and critical of the government’s and state institutions’ policies.”
In November, the Lahore High Court quashed the case against Toor after the FIA admitted the charges levelled against him were false.
“The government is now targeting Internet freedom under the garb of regulation,” Toor added.
“Let alone electronic and print media freedom, we are fast losing Internet freedom also due to recently promulgated regressive laws and rules,” Iqbal Khattak, a senior journalist and RSF representative in Pakistan, told Arab News while referring to the Citizens Protection [Against Online Harm] Rules 2020. 
Khattak said many journalists who had been laid off in recent months had launched Youtube channels and social media accounts to be able to continue to express themselves, but the government was using new social media rules to “chase” them on the Internet also. 
Toor said space was fast shrinking for journalists in Pakistan “but we’ll have to resist the government’s tactics to pressurise journalists.”


Pakistan urges world to accept Taliban’s de facto rule to avoid new Afghan conflict

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Pakistan urges world to accept Taliban’s de facto rule to avoid new Afghan conflict

  • Pakistan has not officially recognized Taliban government in Afghanistan, which seized Kabul in August 2021
  • Pakistan’s UN ambassador says militant groups from Afghanistan are a threat to Islamabad’s national security

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad this week called on the international community to acknowledge the de facto Taliban rule in Afghanistan, warning that failure to do so could risk igniting another conflict in the war-torn country. 

Pakistan has not officially recognized the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which seized Kabul in August 2021 after the chaotic withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from the country, but has retained high-level diplomatic engagement with Kabul. Islamabad has also called on the international community to engage with the Taliban government and unfreeze Afghanistan’s financial assets to ward off the country’s humanitarian crisis. 

Ahmad’s statement follows Russia’s move to become the first country to recognize the Taliban last week as it accepted the credentials of a new ambassador of Afghanistan. 

“We should acknowledge that there is one authority that controls the territory of Afghanistan with no credible challenge to it,” Ahmad said on Monday, during a UN General Assembly plenary meeting on Afghanistan. “We must avoid actions that could ignite another conflict in Afghanistan which can affect the entire region.”

Pakistan and Afghanistan have had rocky relations mainly due to a spike in militancy in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan. Islamabad says anti-Pakistan militants carry out cross-border attacks using safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies. Another source of tension has been Pakistan’s drive to expel Afghans, which first began in Nov. 2023.

Ahmad warned that “terrorism” emanating from Afghanistan continues to be a serious threat to its neighbors, particularly Pakistan. He said Daesh and other militant entities such as the Al-Qaeda, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch militant groups continue to operate from “ungoverned spaces” in Afghanistan.

He said the TTP is directly threatening Pakistan’s national security with 6,000 fighters at its disposal, alleging that Islamabad has evidence of the outfit’s collaboration with Baloch militant groups to disrupt infrastructure and economic development projects in Pakistan.

“The international community must speak with a unified voice to hold the de facto authorities to their commitments, including not to allow the use of Afghan soil against any country and to ensure the shared goal of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan free from terrorism, at peace within, and without,” Ahmad said. 

The Pakistani envoy said Islamabad is ready to support regional and international engagement efforts with Afghanistan via clear objectives, reciprocal steps and a realistic roadmap. 

“What could not be realized through force, will not be achieved through isolation, sanctions or financial coercion,” he said. 

The development took place the same day that Pakistan and Afghanistan held the inaugural additional secretary-level talks between the two countries, pursuant to the decisions reached during the visit of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to Kabul in April. 

The two sides discussed deepening trade and transit cooperation, militancy, the deportation of Afghan refugees from the country and the legal travel of the citizens of the two nations in the talks on Monday.


Pakistan, UAE eye enhanced media collaboration to promote mutual understanding

Updated 08 July 2025
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Pakistan, UAE eye enhanced media collaboration to promote mutual understanding

  • Pakistan’s envoy meets UAE Media Council secretary-general Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi in Dubai
  • Al Shehhi acknowledges Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage, tourism potential, says Pakistani embassy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the UAE agreed to enhance collaboration in the media sector to promote mutual understanding and “positive narratives” between the two nations, the Pakistani embassy in Abu Dhabi said this week. 

Pakistan and the UAE enjoy cordial ties rooted in shared religion and culture. The two nations enjoy cooperation in defense, economic, trade, commerce, tourism and several other sectors of the economy. 

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE Faisal Niaz Tirmizi met Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi, the UAE Media Council’s secretary-general, in Dubai on Monday. Tirmizi underscored brotherly ties between the two states, highlighting the Pakistani expatriate community’s significant role in the UAE’s development, the Pakistan embassy in Abu Dhabi said. 

“The meeting focused on exploring avenues for collaboration in the media sector, aimed at promoting mutual understanding and positive narratives between the two nations,” the embassy said. 

Al Shehhi reaffirmed the UAE Media Council’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Pakistan, the embassy said. He acknowledged Islamabad’s rich cultural heritage, natural beauty and tourism potential, particularly in its northern regions, it added. 

The development takes place as a senior Pakistani government delegation is in Dubai to participate in a two-day experience exchange program, aiming to learn from the UAE’s governance and public sector innovation models.

The program, running from July 8–9, includes sessions with various UAE ministries and authorities and focuses on innovative approaches to public service delivery, competitiveness, and institutional reform. 

The UAE is an important ally for Pakistan, given it is the South Asian nation’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States. It is also considered a critical market due to its geographic proximity and logistical advantages to Pakistan.

The Gulf state is also Pakistan’s second-largest source of foreign remittances, after Saudi Arabia, with over 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates living and working there.


Days of monsoon rains kill 79 as Pakistan braces for more floods

Updated 08 July 2025
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Days of monsoon rains kill 79 as Pakistan braces for more floods

  • Strong westerly wave to cause moderate to heavy rainfall till July 10, disaster management authority says
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reports highest number of deaths, 29, from rain-related incidents since June 26

ISLAMABAD: The death toll from monsoon rains in Pakistan under two weeks has climbed to 79, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in its latest report, as the country braces for more heavy downpours and floods till July 10. 

Monsoon rains have battered several parts of Pakistan, especially its eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, since June 26. As per the NDMA’s latest situation report, KP has reported the highest number of deaths from rain-related incidents, 29, followed by Punjab with 24, Sindh with 15, and Balochistan with 11 deaths in thirteen days of rain. 

Seventy-two people were injured in Punjab, followed by 34 in Sindh, 27 in KP, four in Azad Kashmir and three in Balochistan since June 26, as per the report. The NDMA on Monday forecast heavy rains and floods in several parts of the country. It said a moisture inflow from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, combined with a strong westerly wave, is expected to result in moderate to heavy monsoon rainfall till July 10. 

“These weather conditions are likely to cause both riverine and flash flooding in various regions of Pakistan,” the authority said on Monday. 

As per the NDMA’s report, 189 houses in total have been damaged across the country while 100 livestock have perished due to rain-related incidents since June 26. KP reported the highest number of houses damaged since June 26, 94, while the largest number of livestock perished were reported from Sindh, 58. 

Pakistan, home to over 240 million people, is consistently ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains and glacier melt caused catastrophic floods that affected 33 million people and killed more than 1,700. The South Asian country has been the victim of irregular weather patterns recently that have ranged from heatwaves to droughts and torrential rains.

Surging temperatures in the country’s mountainous north, especially in Gilgit-Baltistan, have accelerated glacier melt, compounding the risk of sudden floods and landslides in narrow valleys and near vulnerable glacial lakes.

The NDMA advises the public to stay indoors during thunderstorms, avoid unnecessary travel and keep children away from electricity poles and waterlogged areas.


Bangladesh warms to China, Pakistan after revolution as India fumes

Updated 08 July 2025
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Bangladesh warms to China, Pakistan after revolution as India fumes

  • There is deep resentment in Dhaka over fugitive ex-PM Hasina, who escaped uprising in August and flew to New Delhi
  • India has long been wary of China’s growing regional clout as both nations compete for influence in South Asia region

DHAKA, Bangladesh: Protests in Bangladesh that toppled the government last year triggered a diplomatic pivot, with Dhaka warming toward China after neighboring India was angered by the ousting of its old ally Sheikh Hasina.

One year since the protests, that realignment risks intensifying polarization — and fears of external interference — as political parties in Bangladesh jostle for influence ahead of elections next year.

For the caretaker government, seeking domestic consensus for overhauling democratic institutions in the country of 170 million people, it is another challenge to juggle.

“India-Bangladesh relations have probably never experienced such intense strain before,” said New Delhi-based analyst Praveen Donthi, from the International Crisis Group.

There is deep resentment in Dhaka over the fate of fugitive ex-prime minister Hasina, who escaped a student-led uprising by helicopter in August 2024 and flew to New Delhi as thousands of protesters stormed her palace.

Interim leader Muhammad Yunus said popular anger in Muslim-majority Bangladesh had been “transferred over to India” because Hasina was offered sanctuary by New Delhi’s Hindu nationalist government.

Hasina, 77, has defied extradition orders to attend her crimes against humanity trial, and has already been convicted in absentia for contempt of court with a six-month sentence.

Md Touhid Hossain, who heads Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, said that “the relationship is now at the readjustment stage.”

Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus’s first state visit was to China in March, a trip that saw him secure $2.1 billion in investments, loans and grants.

Beijing has also courted leading politicians directly.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a senior leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) — the expected election frontrunner — said China is “keen” to work with the next elected government with “sincerity, steadfastness, love, and affection.”

India has long been wary of China’s growing regional clout and the world’s two most populous countries compete for influence in South Asia, despite a recent diplomatic thaw.

Bangladesh has also moved closer to Pakistan, India’s arch-enemy.

In May, more than 70 people were killed in four days of missile, drone and artillery fire between the forces of New Delhi and Islamabad, sparked by a deadly militant attack on civilians in India-administered Kashmir.

The following month, officials from Dhaka and Islamabad met counterparts in China.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the trio had agreed to “cooperation programs” including in trade, industry, education and agriculture.

Obaidul Haque, who teaches international relations at the University of Dhaka, said talks with Beijing had “borne fruit,” including alternative health care after once popular medical tourism to India was restricted.

“For example, China designated three hospitals for Bangladeshi patients when India made access difficult,” he said.

Bangladesh and Pakistan — which split in 1971 after Dhaka’s independence war — began trade by sea last year, with direct flights also slated.

That sparked worry in New Delhi.

“The current Indian political leadership, owing to its ideological foundations... are unwilling to accept Dhaka under a government they perceive as Islamist and hostile toward India,” Donthi said.

“The visible engagement between Dhaka, Islamabad, and Beijing enhances this perception further.”

Both New Delhi and Bangladesh have imposed trade restrictions on each other.

India, which encircles much of Bangladesh by land, has imposed multiple trade restrictions — including tightening rules on Indian imports of jute fibers, ready-made garments, plastic products and food.

But trade between the neighboring nations remains high, said Md Humayun Kabir, a former Bangladeshi ambassador to Washington, who has also served in India.

But he urged caution, saying Dhaka should “tread carefully forming alliances,” and seek to strengthen “multilateral relations” as a balance.

“Cooperation still exists between the countries, but the warmth is gone,” he said.

Separately, Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment exporter, has also been caught in the global shakeup caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, with Yunus in June telling US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of his “commitment to strengthening” ties.

But in terms of regional tensions, analysts say little will change soon — and warn they have the potential to escalate.

“Things might change only if New Delhi is satisfied with the electoral process and sees somebody amenable to it come to power in Dhaka,” the Crisis Group’s Donthi added.

“It is very unlikely that their position will change toward the current government in Dhaka,” he said.

“There may be attempts to undermine it rather than to collaborate.”


Pakistan greenlights independent regulator to oversee digital assets ecosystem

Updated 08 July 2025
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Pakistan greenlights independent regulator to oversee digital assets ecosystem

  • Authority to operate as regulator dedicated to licensing, monitoring, supervising virtual asset providers
  • Pakistan previously banned cryptocurrency transactions in 2018, citing financial risks and lack of regulation

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet this week approved the summary to create the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), the office of the minister of state on blockchain and crypto said, describing it a “landmark step” to oversee the country’s rapidly growing digital assets ecosystem. 

The development takes place less than four months after the government set up the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) in March to create a legal framework for cryptocurrency trading to lure international investment. In April, Pakistan introduced its first-ever policy framework to set rules for how digital money like cryptocurrencies and the companies that deal in it should operate in Pakistan while in May, Islamabad also unveiled the country’s first government-led strategic bitcoin reserve at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas.

The office of the minister of state for blockchain and cryptocurrency described the cabinet’s approval as a “landmark step” toward establishing a comprehensive legal and institutional framework to oversee the country’s rapidly growing digital assets ecosystem. 

“The proposed authority will operate as an independent regulator dedicated to licensing, monitoring, and supervising virtual asset service providers (VASPs), while ensuring full alignment with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines and international best practices,” the statement said on Monday. 

It added that the authority will also oversee public protection mechanisms, anti-money laundering protocols and cyber risk mitigation across virtual asset transactions within the country.

The statement said the government’s coordinated approach, combining sovereign asset reserves, surplus energy deployment and robust regulation, reflects Pakistan’s ambition to become a “digital assets hub” in South Asia.

“By building trust, attracting foreign investment, and fostering innovation in the blockchain sector, Pakistan is setting the foundations for a secure, inclusive, and future-proof digital economy,” the state minister’s office said. 

It described Pakistan as being among the world’s “promising” frontier markets for digital assets, saying it has over 40 million crypto users and an estimated annual trading volume of $300 billion which was occurring through informal channels as per industry sources. 

Pakistan’s move to adopt digital currency is a significant shift for it, considering it had previously banned cryptocurrency transactions in 2018 citing financial risks and lack of regulation.