PFUJ-Workers calls to end impunity for crimes against journalists

LAHORE: On this International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we stand in solidarity with journalists across Pakistan and around the world who continue to face violence, harassment, censorship, and threats simply for doing their jobs.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists- Workers (PFUJ-Workers) deplores the unrelenting culture of impunity surrounding attacks on media professionals in Pakistan as justice remains an illusion in most cases of murdered and assaulted journalists as successive governments continue to renege on their repeated pledges.

In a statement PFUJ-Workers President, Shamim Shahid, and Secretary General, Raja Riaz Ahmad, said, “Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. From the targeted killing of Hayatullah Khan to the murders of Saleem Shahzad, Arshad Sharif, and many others, the killers remain unafraid of accountability. Every unpunished attack sends a chilling message: silencing the truth exacts no price.”

Despite constitutional guarantees of press freedom, Pakistan’s law and practice continue to fail in protecting journalists. The misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, the increasing use of defamation and sedition laws against reporters, and growing economic pressures on independent newsrooms are eroding free expression and media independence, it adds.

PFUJ-Workers urges the Government of Pakistan, judiciary, and law-enforcement agencies to:

• Ensure independent and transparent investigations into all attacks against journalists.

• Enhance legal protections and adopt protective laws to ensure the safety of journalists both in the field and online.

• Zero tolerance for impunity emboldens people to threaten or injure media personnel.

• Fulfil the commitments of Pakistan under the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

“No democracy can flourish where truth is punished, and those who expose it are left unprotected,” PFUJ-Workers said. “Justice for journalists is justice for society and a cornerstone of the people’s right to know.” It concludes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025