islamabad: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has called upon the federal and provincial governments, to respect press freedom and freedom of expression, which are fast eroding in the country.
In a joint statement issued on the eve of Press Freedom Day, which will be observed all over the world on Saturday, PFUJ Acting President Khalid Khokhar and Secretary General Arshad Ansari condemned the recent amendments made by the federal and Punjab government to stifle the freedom of expression.
They said the amendments in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025 made by the federal government and the Defamation Law passed by the Punjab Assembly were aimed at controlling the media.
Terming them as “black laws”, the PFUJ leaders said the journalists’ will continue to fight against these oppressive laws which not only threaten the freedom of expression but also the journalists’ as a community.
The two PFUJ leaders also strongly criticised the government for using high-handed tactics to intimidate them by kidnapping the journalists, implicating them in false cases, blocking their bank accounts or those of their family members.
“All these tactics are being used to harass the journalists’ community and force them to toe the government line,” the two leaders said.
PFUJ leadership also regretted that the Journalist Safety Act, adopted by Parliament long ago, has still not been enforced as neither the commission has been constituted nor it’s rules framed by the government. “This raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to the safety of journalists.”
They also.accused the Government of issuing government advertisements–a vital source of revenue for media outlets– to only those media organizations that are toeing the government line. They noted that those organisations which are talking independent stand are being denied official advertisements . They pointed out that English language daily Dawn was also being punished for taking independent editorial stance by stopping the official advertisement to that newspaper which was founded by Quaide Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The PFUJ statement further highlighted that six journalists were killed in the past year, the Quetta Press Club was sealed, and unseen forces exerted control over the media. Journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including former FATA and Balochistan, continue to work under immense pressure and challenging conditions.
“PFUJ reaffirms its unwavering commitment to safeguarding freedom of the press and expression, as well as the legitimate rights of the media community,” the two leaders said. “We will neither compromise on our stance of upholding the freedom of expression and will fight for it at every available forum no matter what the cost”.
