Pakistan remained a deeply hostile environment for journalism and media professionals during 2025–26, according to a new annual report by an Islamabad-based media watchdog that documented 97 violations against journalists and media practitioners between October 2025 and August 2026. The findings land ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed on 2 November.

Key Findings of the Impunity Report 2026

Freedom Network's annual Impunity Report 2026, titled 'From Violence to Lawfare: Process as Punishment for Journalists', recorded 97 attacks and other violations in the period — down from 142 in the preceding cycle. However, the report cautioned that the drop offered little comfort. 'About 10 cases a month, their nationwide spread and severity in the period showed that fewer violations did not mean greater safety,' the report stated.

The report was authored by journalist Adnan Rehmat and Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak, with technical assistance from International Media Support (IMS).

Nature and Scale of Violations

The 97 documented cases between October 2025 and August 2026 included one work-related killing, three attempted assassinations, 18 threats of murder or harm, 13 legal actions, 32 threats of legal actions, and 11 assaults. Punjab recorded the highest number of cases at 49, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, and Balochistan.

Digital and independent journalists were targeted most frequently. Notably, victims or their families alleged that government authorities and officials were the instigators in nearly two-thirds of the reported cases — a pattern that points to a structural rather than incidental threat to press freedom.

The Shift from Violence to 'Lawfare'

A central theme of the report is the evolution of impunity from outright physical violence to what it calls a 'broader system of coercion' through legal mechanisms. The report identified the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) as central instruments in this 'legal siege' of online journalism in Pakistan.

An analysis of representative PECA-related cases against journalists revealed a recurring procedural pattern: complaint, notice, or inquiry — followed by appearance, FIR, arrest, bail, and eventual relief, apology, or unresolved prosecution. Freedom Network stated that allegations involving alleged defamation, false information, harassment, or reputational harm against media practitioners 'are repeatedly channelled through cybercrime procedures,' including where reporting 'concerns public expenditure, corruption or official conduct.'

Institutional Gaps and Safety Commission Concerns

Despite the presence of two laws on Pakistan's statute books designed to combat impunity for crimes against journalists, and the establishment of two high-powered safety commissions under those laws, the report found a persistent lack of institutional safeguards for media professionals. Iqbal Khattak said, 'Such a finding should be a matter of concern for those at the helm of affairs of the two safety commissions established under these laws.'

The report concluded that impunity in Pakistan had 'evolved from a failure to punish violence into a broader system of coercion' — a shift that critics argue makes accountability harder to achieve because legal harassment generates fewer headlines than physical attacks while inflicting comparable professional damage.

What This Means Going Forward

With the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November 2026 approaching, the timing of the report's release is deliberate. Press freedom organisations are expected to use the findings to push for enforcement of Pakistan's existing journalist-protection laws and greater independence for the safety commissions. Whether the documented decline in raw violations translates into any meaningful policy response remains to be seen.