Pakistani journalists suffer posttraumatic stress disorder for reporting on crime, terrorism — study

A photo-journalist reacts to the riots in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 13, 2021. (AFP/File)
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Updated 31 January 2022
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Pakistani journalists suffer posttraumatic stress disorder for reporting on crime, terrorism — study

  • Journalists working on natural disasters comparatively suffer more severe posttraumatic stress symptoms, research shows
  • Mental health facilities remain scarce in Pakistan as only one psychiatrist is available for 100,000 people, says WHO

ISLAMABAD: A research study has found that Pakistani journalists have been suffering from threats and mental health issues, including sleep deprivation, disturbing memories and nightmares due to their line of work.   

Journalists, camerapersons and photographers in Pakistan are often found to be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially those who report on natural disasters. They often experience higher levels of anxiety, stress or depression, which causes them to feel low on energy, experience low moods and evokes feelings of hopelessness.   

“Pakistani journalists are facing mental health issues due to the topics they report on and work-related threats that they receive,” Dr Jamil Malik, an assistant professor at the National Institute of Psychology that conducted the study in collaboration with The Vrije Universiteit in The Netherlands, told Arab News on Sunday. 

He said over half of the journalists who participated in the study were stalked at least once during their career, adding that the levels of depression were also “considerably elevated.”   

The study found that journalists who reported more often on natural disasters suffered more severe posttraumatic stress symptoms than those who reported less often on the subject. Men and women, staffers and freelancers did not significantly differ in their mental health problems, the topics they reported on, or the threats they faced, except for kidnapping.   

The research concluded that journalists working for foreign media received significantly more electronic threats and were more often detained, than those who did not work for foreign outlets. “Tragically, a third of the journalists personally knew a colleague who was murdered,” it said.   

Shahzada Zulfiqar, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said it was a fact that a majority of Pakistani journalists, especially field reporters, were suffering from trauma and mental health issues due to the nature of their work.   

“Pakistan isn’t a peaceful country,” he told Arab News. “Our reporters, photographers and cameramen have been covering terrorism-related incidents for the last 20 years and the impact of it on their mental health is quite obvious.”  

Zulfiqar said journalists were attacked and kidnapped in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad with complete impunity and “it leaves a mental pressure and stress on the whole community.”   

“Our journalists remain constantly under pressure from the government, state institutions and other powerful groups for covering stories, which they usually don’t want to get published or broadcast,” he said.   

The PFUJ president urged the federal and provincial governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to set up mental health counseling centers for journalists across the country.   

“It is a sad reality that the majority of our field workers don’t have enough resources to consult psychiatrists for their mental health,” he regretted.   

According to a report by the World Health Organisation, mental health facilities are not readily available in Pakistan, where only one psychiatrist is available for every 100,000 people.   

Sadaf Khan, the co-founder of Media Matters for Democracy non-profit organization that is providing online, free-of-cost mental health counseling services for Pakistani journalists, said journalists developed “serious mental health issues” due to their constant exposure to crime and terrorism-related incidents.   

“We have noticed that some journalists do share their mental health issues with our psychologists and therapists, but a majority of them don’t return after the first session,” she told Arab News. “Unfortunately, mental health still remains a taboo in Pakistan.”   

She said there was a need to sensitize the whole journalist fraternity about their mental health and its proactive and sustainable treatment to deal with the issue. 

“We should all play our part to normalize mental health issues in our society and support journalists going through the challenge,” she added.

 

 

 


Authorities seize 1,000 kilograms of donkey meat in Islamabad, arrest ‘foreign national’

Updated 4 sec ago
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Authorities seize 1,000 kilograms of donkey meat in Islamabad, arrest ‘foreign national’

  • The seizure was made during a raid at a farmhouse in Islamabad’s Tarnol area, with authorities recovering 50 live donkeys as well
  • Official says the meat had been packed for ‘export to a neighboring country,’ more raids to be conducted to trace local facilitators

ISLAMABAD: Local administration in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad has seized around 1,000 kilograms of donkey meat from an illegal slaughterhouse and arrested a “foreign national,” officials said on Sunday.

The seizure was made during a joint raid by the Islamabad Food Authority (IFA), local police and the Islamabad district administration on a farmhouse in Tarnol area, according to the IFA.

Fifty live donkeys were also recovered from the site and an IFA team was destroying the meat under the supervision of Deputy Director Dr. Tahira Siddique.

Police have lodged a case against the arrested foreign national, who had been running the operation, and are looking for his local facilitators.

“A foreign national was arrested at the site which has been sealed and an investigation is underway,” Muhammad Nasir Butt, a spokesperson for the Islamabad district administration, told Arab News.

“We will conduct further raids as per the findings of the investigation and efforts are also underway to trace local individuals involved.”

Butt said the meat had been packed for “export to a neighboring country.”

“So far, we have not found any traces of meat being used in the local restaurants, but administration is investigating the matter from multiple angles,” he added.

According to a police report seen by Arab News, the farmhouse had no authorization to process donkey meat or export live donkeys.

“Due to the absence of records for [processing] haram meat, and on the basis of its supply and sale, legal action shall be taken against concerned individuals under Sections 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety Act, 2021,” the report said.

Pakistan is frequently listed among countries with the highest number of donkey populations worldwide. The country’s donkey population rose to 6 million in fiscal year 2024-25, which ended in June, compared to 5.9 million in 2023–24, according to the latest economic survey.

In May this year, Pakistan Customs had foiled an attempt to smuggle donkey hides worth approximately Rs80 million (around $283,800) to China. The staff deployed on the Risk Management Profiling System of the Karachi Customs

Collectorate detected a container number SEGU-3154225 cleared from the South Asia Pakistan Port (SAPT) terminal in Karachi, whose export documents showed 285 packages of leather products were being sent to China.

The animal’s meat and hides are quite popular in China. Gelatin derived from donkey hides is highly sought after in China for its use in Ejiao, a traditional medicinal remedy. Several Chinese eateries sell donkey meat and burgers for consumption.

Dr. Siddique, who was part of the team that raided the farmhouse, said the availability of safe and quality food in Islamabad was the top priority of the IFA.

“We are enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against those who endanger public health,” she was quoted as saying by the IFA.


8 killed, 18 injured as passenger bus meets accident in eastern Pakistan

Updated 18 min 48 sec ago
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8 killed, 18 injured as passenger bus meets accident in eastern Pakistan

  • Bus heading from Lahore to Islamabad falls in ditch in Chakwal, local media reports say
  • Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed 

ISLAMABAD: Eight people were killed while 18 others were injured after a passenger bus met with an accident in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province on Sunday, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

As per local media reports, the passenger bus was heading to the eastern city of Lahore from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, when one of its tires burst near the Balkassar Interchange on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M2).

Pakistani English language newspaper Dawn reported that the tire burst caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle, due to which it fell into a ditch and overturned.

“Eight people were killed while eighteen others injured in a passenger bus accident in the area of Balkassar in Chakwal today,” Radio Pakistan reported.

“According to Rescue 1122, ambulances and rescue vehicles promptly reached the site of the incident.”

The state-run media said that the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads as well as a majority of vehicles are in poor condition.

Pakistan motorway police frequently warns masses on its social media platforms against violating traffic regulations and overspeeding.


Pakistan suspends road travel to Iran, Iraq citing security concerns

Updated 53 min 23 sec ago
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Pakistan suspends road travel to Iran, Iraq citing security concerns

  • Travelers will still be allowed to visit Iran and Iraq by air, says interior minister.
  • Decision comes in wake of rise in militant attacks in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Sunday that the government will not allow pilgrims to travel to Iran and Iraq by road for the Arbaeen pilgrimage this year, citing public safety and national security concerns for the ban. 

Thousands of Pakistani citizens visit Iran and Iraq annually for religious tourism and to visit religious sites, including observing Arbaeen (Arabic for “forty”), a significant religious occasion in Shia Islam. It marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussain, who was “martyred” in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.

Travelers to Iran and Iraq by road have often been targeted in sectarian attacks by armed groups in Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan province, which shares a border with Iran.

Islamabad’s decision comes in the wake of a rise in militant attacks in the province by ethnic Baloch militant groups, who demand a greater share of the province’s mineral resources from Islamabad.

“After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that Zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year,” Naqvi wrote on X. 

The interior minister said this “difficult decision” was taken in the interest of public safety and national security.

However, he said Shia pilgrims will be allowed to travel by air to Iran and Iraq.

“Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to arrange maximum flights to facilitate their pilgrimage in the coming days,” he wrote. 

A Pakistani immigration official told Arab News earlier this month that Islamabad plans to overhaul its pilgrimage travel policy to Iraq, Iran and Syria after authorities confirmed around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims went missing or overstayed in the three countries over the past decade. 

Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf revealed this month that 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had either overstayed or gone missing in these countries without any official record of their whereabouts.

In response, Pakistani authorities have scrapped the long-standing “Salar system,” in which private group leaders managed travel logistics, and are introducing a new centralized, computerized structure to track and regulate pilgrim movement more effectively.

Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Pakistan’s director general of Immigration and Passports, said a new Ziyarat Management Policy has been finalized by the government under which pilgrims will only be allowed to travel in organized groups, and licensed tour operators will be held directly responsible for ensuring that all group members return to Pakistan before their visas expire.

Any operator found violating the policy or failing to ensure the return of all pilgrims will have their license canceled.


Pakistan PM takes notice of ‘unjustified delay’ of cash reward, support for boxer Shahzaib Rind

Updated 27 July 2025
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Pakistan PM takes notice of ‘unjustified delay’ of cash reward, support for boxer Shahzaib Rind

  • Rind had publicly criticized government for not paying him promised cash reward of $17,360, support worth $282,080
  • Information Minister Attaullah Tarar apologizes to Rind, says “inordinate delay” will be sorted out immediately

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar this week apologized to Karate champion Shahzaib Rind for the “unjustified delay” of a monetary reward and financial support the fighter said the government had promised to provide him, sharing that the prime minister has taken “serious notice” of the incident. 

Rind made history in September last year when he won the World Karate Combat Light Heavyweight Championship, beating Brazil’s Luiz Victor Rocha in the final in Singapore. The remarkable feat made him the first person from Pakistan to win the world title. 

Following his achievement, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari presented Rind a cheque of Rs100 million [$352,600] while as per reports, former federal minister Sardar Yaar Muhammad Rind announced he would give Rind 25 acres of land. 

Rind took to social media platform X on July 23, saying that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised him a sum of Rs5 million [$17,630] and Rs80 million [$282,080] to support his training camp and upcoming fights. However, the Pakistani fighter said it was “all a lie, I never got a penny from them.”

“Dear Shahzeb, there seems to be some miscommunication,” Tarar wrote to Rind on X on Saturday. “We sincerely apologize for this unjustified delay, sportsmen like you are our real heroes and we value your achievements.”

The minister acknowledged that Rind had brought honor to the country and made everyone proud through his achievements. 

“The Prime Minister has taken serious notice of this inordinate delay and rest assured, it will be sorted out immediately, inshallah [god willing],” Tarar added.

He said Sharif had instructed authorities that such mistakes must never happen again.

“We regret this unjustified delay and the inconvenience caused,” he added. 

Rind responded by thanking Tarar, saying he appreciated Sharif taking notice of the incident. 

“Inshallah, with your support, we can continue to uplift and inspire the next generation of champions,” he wrote. 

Rind, who hails from the impoverished southwestern Balochistan province, won his first martial arts title in 2011 after claiming victory in a provincial-level competition. His first national title came in 2019 when he triumphed at the National Games in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

During the two-and-a-half years of an undefeated Karate Combat career, Rind has fought fighters from North America, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, France and India.


Pakistan says wants ‘strongest relations’ with US despite iron-clad partnership with China

Updated 27 min 25 sec ago
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Pakistan says wants ‘strongest relations’ with US despite iron-clad partnership with China

  • Pakistan Deputy PM Dar says his Friday meeting with US secretary of state was “very cordial” 
  • Pakistan maintains a tricky balance in its relations with the US and its traditional rival, China

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday Islamabad wished for “strongest relations” with the United States (US) despite enjoying an iron-clad partnership with Washington’s rival, Beijing.

Pakistan maintains a tricky balance in its relations with China and the US. While aligned with the US for military cooperation and counter-terrorism efforts, Islamabad has strengthened economic ties with Beijing through initiatives like the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). 

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained over the past several years as both world powers compete for global influence in several domains. The US and China have disagreements over several issues such as trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

“Our government and we have emphasized and will continue to emphasize that our relations and iron-clad brother partnership with China, our relations [with the US] should not be looked at through that lens,” Dar, speaking to the Pakistani community in New York, said during a televised address. 

“We want strongest relations with the United States of America as well.”

Dar pointed out that Islamabad, under the previous government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from 2022-2023, had made it clear to Washington that this was its official policy. However, the Pakistani foreign minister said the Joe Biden administration did not engage with Islamabad. 

“I’m glad that they [Trump administration] have actively engaged themselves with us,” Dar said. 

Dar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday in a face-to-face meeting, during which the American official recognized Pakistan’s “constructive role” for peace in the region and worldwide. 

The Pakistani deputy prime minister pointed out that this was the first time in nine years that the foreign ministers of the US and Pakistan had met each other.

“I would say the meeting was very cordial, we touched all the regional and global issues. We touched our bilateral issues,” he said.

Dar is currently on an eight-day visit to the US till July 28, where he kept a busy schedule in New York and chaired several high-profile United Nations Security Council meetings under Pakistan’s rotating presidency this month.