Pakistan's media landscape witnessed a sharp contraction in free expression between April 2025 and March 2026, driven by mounting legal, regulatory, and economic pressures, according to a new report by Freedom Network, an Islamabad-based media watchdog. The findings were released to mark World Press Freedom Day, observed globally on 3 May each year.

PECA: The Primary Instrument of Repression

The report, titled Regulatory Repression of Freedom of Expression – Legal Controls and PECA Undermine Media and Journalism in Pakistan, identifies the amended Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) as the most "consequential instrument" being deployed against journalists and free speech practitioners. According to Freedom Network, PECA provisions were increasingly invoked in 2025 and 2026 to criminalise lawful expression, target dissent, and intimidate journalists, lawyers, and political commentators.

Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak described the development in stark terms: "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."

Key Violations: 129 Incidents Documented

The report documented at least 129 verified incidents of journalist safety violations during the review period. Legal threats and physical violence accounted for nearly two-thirds of all cases. The breakdown, as stated by Freedom Network, includes:

2 murders, 5 cases of threats to murder, 58 legal cases (predominantly PECA-invoked), 16 cases of assault, 11 cases of threats to harm, and 2 cases of kidnapping and enforced disappearance. Defamation suits, regulatory suspensions, and internet shutdowns further compounded the hostile environment for independent journalism.

High-Profile Targets and Regional Hotspots

The report highlighted the convictions of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha as examples of how custodial sentences were being used to deter dissent. Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emerged as the most dangerous regions for journalists, while murders in Sindh and Balochistan underscored persistent risks in those provinces.

According to the report, state authorities were suspected as the leading perpetrators, responsible for over 60 percent of violations — primarily through legal and custodial actions. Non-state actors, including militant groups and criminal networks, also contributed to threats, assaults, and killings.

Notably, the report also cited state-led efforts to counter disinformation and hate speech as frequently being used alongside increased surveillance and selective enforcement — a pattern critics argue conflates legitimate journalism with criminal activity.

Gendered Risks and Economic Pressures

The report drew attention to the arrest of three female journalists in Islamabad in March, who were detained while attempting to cover the Aurat March, illustrating what Freedom Network described as the gendered dimension of press freedom risks. Female journalists, the report noted, remained particularly marginalised — facing harassment, online abuse, workplace discrimination, deepfake abuse, and arbitrary detentions.

Economic vulnerabilities compounded the crisis. Journalists across Pakistan reportedly faced delayed salaries, job insecurity, and an over-dependence on government advertising revenue — conditions that, according to the report, directly undermined editorial independence.

What Comes Next

With Pakistan already ranked poorly on global press freedom indices, Freedom Network's findings add to a growing body of evidence that legislative instruments originally designed to combat cybercrime are being repurposed to silence critical voices. Whether the government responds to mounting domestic and international pressure to reform PECA will be closely watched in the months ahead.