Pakistan govt's tightening control pushes independent press to precipice of extinction: Report

Islamabad, March 25 (IANS) The Pakistani government's tightening control through media regulations and the selective weaponisation of information has pushed the country’s independent press to the precipice of extinction, a report has stated emphasising that the state’s information war has shifted from subtle manipulation to an overt, systematic campaign to sanitise the public narrative.

"The current crackdown is not merely an administrative nuisance. It represents a fundamental existential threat to the Pakistani public’s right to be informed. In a nation where political stability hangs by a thread, the flow of accurate data has become the government’s primary adversary," Kenya-based Streamline Feed said in a report.

"By leveraging the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to issue sweeping, restrictive directives, the establishment has effectively silenced critical discourse on sensitive security and political matters. The consequences are profound, leaving millions of citizens navigating a landscape where propaganda passes for policy and investigative reporting is branded as an affront to national security," it added.

The censorship in Pakistan has evolved with alarming speed. In its recent directives, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has asked all television broadcasters to follow strictly curated list of permissible topics and banned live coverage of opposition rallies and critical political statements. These directives are not suggestions but they can lead to immediate suspension of license, creating an atmosphere where self-censorship is the only way to survive in Pakistan.

Media houses face immediate suspension of licenses if they do not display the national flag or show content what is termed "anti-state." A time-delay mechanism has been implemented on all live broadcasts, providing censors a buffer to kill any segment that deviates from the official government narrative. Major media houses in Pakistan have weekly audits of news scripts.

"The government’s most potent weapon, however, is not the censor’s red pen, but the state’s advertising budget. By withholding lucrative government advertising contracts from outlets that dare to publish critical reports, the state has orchestrated a financial squeeze that is driving independent publications to the brink of bankruptcy. This is a deliberate act of economic warfare against the press," the report in Streamline Feed stated.

In addition to this, people in Pakistan cannot access news sites or social media platforms when there is news of a controversial legislative bill or arrest of a high-profile politician. This digital blackout stops the rapid dissemination of unverified rumours and prevents the mobilisation of civil society groups. The dependence on Virtual Private Networks (VPN) has increased, however, the government has announced plans to criminalise the use of unauthorised encryption tools.

"The trajectory of Pakistan’s media crisis serves as a stark warning to the wider East African region and beyond. In nations where political polarization is high and the institutional safeguards of democracy are weak, the state’s urge to control the narrative is a constant, latent threat. When governments decide that national stability is synonymous with silence, the press is always the first casualty," the report mentioned.

--IAN

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