Journalists across Pakistan have called on Parliament to review all media legislation and condemned recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 as a “draconian black law, specifically engineered to facilitate the arm-twisting of journalists and the suppression of Pakistan’s media landscape.” The demand emerged from a national convention held in Islamabad on 24 May, organised jointly by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ).

The Islamabad Declaration

The two-day National Journalists Convention on ‘Media Laws, Regulations, and Ethics’ concluded with a formal declaration demanding that Parliament repeal or revise all laws inconsistent with Article 19 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. The document, dubbed the Islamabad Declaration, also condemned what journalists described as the government’s broken promise that media laws “would never be weaponised against the press.”

Delegates raised alarm over the use of public advertising as a coercive instrument, alleging that editorial independence was being compromised through the selective withdrawal of government ad revenue. The declaration specifically named daily Dawn as a target of this policy, stating the newspaper was being denied both public-sector advertisements and, reportedly, private corporate advertising — with businesses allegedly being pressured to withhold support.

Job Losses and Employment Rights

Beyond legal threats, journalists voiced concern over a worsening employment crisis, particularly in electronic media. Delegates said layoffs were being carried out without justification, leaving hundreds of media workers jobless at a time of record-high inflation. The convention condemned the denial of basic employment rights — including health insurance, gratuity, and registration under the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) — to media personnel.

Freedom Network Report: 129 Violations in One Year

The convention’s concerns were reinforced by a report released in early May 2026 by Freedom Network, an Islamabad-based media watchdog, to mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May. Titled ‘Regulatory Repression of Freedom of Expression – Legal Controls and PECA Undermine Media and Journalism in Pakistan’, the report documented at least 129 verified incidents of journalist safety violations between April 2025 and March 2026.

According to the report, legal threats and physical violence accounted for nearly two-thirds of these cases. The breakdown included two murders, five murder threats, 58 legal cases (mostly PECA-invoked), 16 assaults, 11 threats to harm, and two cases of kidnapping and enforced disappearance. State authorities were identified as the suspected leading perpetrators, responsible for over 60 per cent of violations, primarily through legal and custodial actions.

Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were identified as the most dangerous regions for journalists, while murders in Sindh and Balochistan underscored persistent risks. Non-state actors, including militant groups and criminal networks, were also cited as contributors to threats, assaults, and killings.

PECA: ‘Most Consequential Instrument’ Against Free Speech

Freedom Network described the amended PECA as the most “consequential instrument” being deployed to restrict journalists and free speech practitioners in Pakistan. The report noted that PECA provisions were increasingly being used in 2025 and 2026 to criminalise lawful expression, target dissent, and intimidate journalists, lawyers, and political commentators.

The report highlighted convictions of human rights lawyers, including Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, as examples of how custodial sentences were being used to deter dissent. Defamation cases, regulatory suspensions, and internet shutdowns were also cited as tools further undermining independent journalism.

Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak said: “The weaponisation of PECA has created a climate of fear where journalists are compelled to self-censor to avoid legal repercussions,” calling it “one of the most serious threats to media freedom in Pakistan today.”

Broader Context and What Comes Next

This comes amid a sustained deterioration in Pakistan’s press freedom rankings. The PFUJ and RIUJ have called for immediate legislative action, and the Islamabad Declaration is expected to be formally submitted to parliamentary committees. Whether the government engages with these demands — or continues to use regulatory and financial levers against critical media — will be closely watched by press freedom organisations globally.