Islamabad, Oct 11 (NationPress) Pakistan has been identified as one of the most perilous nations globally for journalists, with incidents targeting media personnel surging to alarming heights, according to a report released on Saturday.

The report emphasizes that the harassment of journalists in Pakistan has persisted as a critical issue, intensifying significantly over the past three years.

As per a report from Athens-based Geopolitico, the situation has worsened since Asim Munir assumed the role of Pakistani Army Chief in late 2022, with his stringent religious views empowering the establishment to crush dissent with unprecedented severity.

"Press freedom in Pakistan is deteriorating under a systematic, state-backed campaign of intimidation. Independent journalists, social media activists, and local reporters face harassment, arrest, disappearance, and even murder for challenging the dominant military establishment. The government has weaponized ambiguous laws, enhanced the power of intelligence agencies, and turned a blind eye to violence against the media. This has led to a consistent human rights crisis that the rulers of Pakistan actively facilitate," the report asserts.

Furthermore, human rights organizations have reported that Pakistan now employs sedition, cybercrime, and even terrorism statutes to penalize journalists for critical coverage. In 2025, several exiled Pakistani journalists faced charges of ‘inciting mutiny’ and defaming the army in similar complaints lodged across different cities. Their true 'offense' was revealing abuses committed by Pakistani security forces.

The report also highlights that in March, Pakistani intelligence operatives abducted the two brothers of exiled investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani from their residence in Islamabad, shortly after Noorani published a report detailing Munir’s consolidation of power.

During this same timeframe, journalist Asif Karim Khehtran vanished in Balochistan after receiving threats regarding his reporting on human rights violations.

The US-based advocacy organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned these abductions as blatant proof of an escalating assault on media and demanded their immediate release. The report indicates that these disappearances exemplify how Pakistan’s security agencies operate with complete impunity, utilizing abductions as a means to silence dissent.

"Instead of reversing course, the Pakistani government has intensified its efforts by enacting laws intended to stifle free expression. In 2025, this legal stranglehold extended to the digital realm. Revisions to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act broadened penalties for disseminating false information and sanctioned aggressive monitoring of online activities," the report claims.

Additionally, it underscores that in June, a court in Islamabad mandated the blocking of over 24 YouTube channels for allegedly sharing 'provocative' content against state institutions. Citing the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, the report notes that Pakistan ranks 158th out of 180 countries, positioning it among the world's most repressive nations.

"Without immediate international pressure, Pakistan will persist on its trajectory toward becoming a media black hole. The global community must denounce these violations and hold Islamabad accountable for its persecution of journalists. Failure to do so will result in the silencing of remaining free voices in Pakistan, causing the truth about the country’s deteriorating crisis to disappear along with them," the report concludes.