JournalismPakistan.com | Published August 12, 2020
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD—Women journalists on Wednesday expressed concern against online threats, pressure from ruling party supporters for criticizing government policies, and its handling of the COVID-19.
According to a joint statement released by a group of women journalists, "vicious online attacks are instigated by government officials and then amplified by a large number of Twitter accounts."
The statement said that women in media are targeted for their work and their gender. It added that there have also been attempts to hack into the social media accounts of reporters and analysts.
"Our social media timelines are then barraged with gender-based slurs, threats of sexual and physical violence. These have the potential to incite violence and lead to hate crimes, putting our physical safety at risk."
The signatories to the statement noted that "we are being prevented from exercising our right to free speech and participate in public discourse. When we self-censor, others are prevented from receiving information to form their views, which is a violation of their rights under Article 19-A."
"Last July, Shireen Mazari, the minister for human rights, promised to take notice of threats against journalists and to address the climate of abuse, bullying, fear, and censorship. Ms. Mazari, we are waiting," the statement said.
The women journalists called upon the Standing Committees on Human Rights of the National Assembly and Senate to hold the government accountable by "ensuring they acknowledge, apologize and list the actions they will now take out to put an end to such a threatening environment."
Dr. Shireen Mazari, in a tweet, said, "Disturbing to learn of women journalists being targeted and abused. Abusing women bec they are critical is never acceptable. Journalists do their job & to target them, especially gender-based abusive attacks on women journos, is absolutely unacceptable and disgusting."
Freedom Network (FN), in an alert on Twitter, condemned the online harassment of women journalists and urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to take immediate note of this unacceptable behavior of party activists trolling dissenting voices.
Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) expressed solidarity with women journalists protesting against the recent wave of coordinated government-sponsored attacks.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
November 28, 2024: Senior journalist Matiullah Jan has been abducted in Islamabad while investigating PTI protest deaths. Rights lawyers have filed a habeas corpus petition as charges of drug possession and terrorism spark outrage.
May 26, 2022: PTI supporters attack Jang/Geo offices in Islamabad & other cities amid D-Chowk protests—DSNG vans damaged, stones hurled amid anti-media slogans. Political-media tensions escalate.
May 16, 2022: Journalist Zahid Abbas Malik disappears in Lahore amid suspected agency involvement. PFUJ, press clubs demand action as nationwide protests loom over Pakistan's press freedom crisis.
April 30, 2022: DawnNews anchor Adil Shahzeb faces death threats & harassment, allegedly from PTI leaders. Journalists rally behind him as #JournalismIsNotACrime trends. Details on the escalating media safety crisis.
April 17, 2022: PTI supporters harass journalists, including women reporters, at Imran Khan's Karachi rally. Samaa TV's Zam Zam Saeed shares footage of abuse—cameraman injured, shirts torn. Media outcry grows.
March 15, 2022: Haripur Press Club President Zakir Tanoli attacked by masked assailants—struck with knives and pistol butts after chili powder assault. Journalists demand immediate action.
February 16, 2022: FIA arrests journalist Mohsin Jamil Baig after Islamabad raid over alleged cybercrime violations. The incident followed Murad Saeed's complaint under PECA 2016. Details on the confrontation and charges.
June 11, 2025 Pakistan celebrated a narrow win over Bangladesh, but beneath the jubilation lies a deeper crisis—from sidelined veterans to a collapsing domestic structure—signaling an urgent need for cricket reform.
June 11, 2025 Journalists walked out of the post-budget press conference in Islamabad to protest the absence of a technical briefing and the government's dismissive behavior, calling it unacceptable and intolerable.
May 31, 2025 Dr. Nauman Niaz has issued a defamation notice to Shoaib Akhtar over derogatory remarks made during a recent broadcast, reigniting a longstanding media feud between the two prominent figures in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025 The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has demanded the full repeal of PECA, citing its vague language, coercive powers, and threats to free speech and digital rights in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025 The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the murder of journalist Syed Mohammed Shah in Jacobabad, calling for urgent justice and improved safety for media professionals in Sindh.