• November 1, 2024
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page, General News, Media and Society

Repeated cycles of violence and a climate of censorship plague the media in Pakistan. On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) calls on all duty bearers to act immediately to reverse course in the alarming situation for the safety of journalists and media professionals in Pakistan. It […]

• November 5, 2024
• Information Technology, Social Media

According to a report submitted to the Peshawar High Court, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked 113,133 TikTok accounts since 2020 to regulate and remove obscene and blasphemous content on social media platforms.  The PTA report revealed that since 2020, TikTok has seen over 114,015 uploads of explicit videos in Pakistan. Additionally, the PTA blocked 2,463 posts featuring blasphemous […]

• November 5, 2024
• Media and Governance

On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) called on all duty bearers to act immediately to reverse course in the concerning situation for the safety of journalists and media professionals in Pakistan. In a statement, PPF stated: “It is completely unacceptable that year after year, the number of murdered journalists […]

• November 4, 2024
• Freedom of Expression

A judicial magistrate on November 1 discharged journalist Faraz Nizam, affiliated with web portal Urdu Point, from a case lodged by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing. The FIA detained Nizam on October 31  over a crime report they deemed “sensitive and offensive,” and sought remand. According to The News, Nizam had recorded a video in 2023 interviewing two siblings who were accused of […]

• November 4, 2024
• Access to Information

Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah has affirmed that the Supreme Court is committed to upholding citizens’ fundamental rights, emphasizing that it is inconceivable for the judiciary to curtail or revoke these rights. He asserted that the Constitution does not grant the Legislature the authority to weaken or restrict fundamental rights. Justice Minallah shared these observations […]

• November 4, 2024
• Information Technology

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom has launched the Digital Pakistan Cybersecurity Hackathon 2024, setting the stage for Pakistan’s aspiration to become a regional information technology and cybersecurity leader. Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecom, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, inaugurated the event on October 30, underscoring the government’s commitment to establishing Pakistan as […]

• November 4, 2024
• Social Media

Pakistan has observed a surge in WhatsApp hacks, with nearly 1,500 accounts compromised since July 1, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi disclosed on October 29th. In a statement to the Senate, Naqvi detailed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has so far received 1,426 formal complaints regarding these breaches, marking a sharp rise in cybercrime activity in […]

• November 4, 2024
• Access to Information

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has confirmed the full restoration of internet services nationwide. The nationwide disruption caused by faults in the SMW4 and AAE-1 submarine cables has now been resolved. A PTA spokesperson shared that repairs to the SMW4 submarine cable, which faced issues in June, have been successfully completed. The AAE-1 cable, which developed faults […]

• November 4, 2024
• advertising

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has strongly condemned the Punjab government’s recent amendment to the Procurement (PPRA) law, which restricts tender advertisements in newspapers. CPNE warns that this decision, if not reversed, will severely impact the newspaper industry, threatening the survival of small, medium, and regional publications across the province and endangering the […]

• November 4, 2024
• General News

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has unveiled a landmark initiative to support the journalist community: allotting 3,200 residential plots for journalists. In a recent meeting with Provincial Information Minister Azma Bukhari, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the Information Ministry to take swift steps toward establishing “Journalist Colony Lahore Phase Two.” She emphasized that all necessary […]

• October 29, 2024
• Obituaries

Khalid Iqbal, a shift in charge at a private television channel, tragically lost his life in a hit-and-run accident on Shahrah-e-Faisal near Wireless Gate. Iqbal was riding his motorcycle when he was struck by an unidentified vehicle, whose driver fled the scene immediately after the collision. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital by ambulance, […]

• October 29, 2024
• General News

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi ordered the transfer of the Supreme Court’s Superintendent of Police—SP Security—following an incident in which a YouTuber took unauthorized photos of the CJP inside the mosque located within the court premises. According to reports, the newly appointed Chief Justice was offering prayers in the mosque when a YouTuber captured his photos […]

• October 29, 2024
• Access to Information, Right to Information, RTI, Social Media

The Balochistan cabinet decided to establish the Right to Information (RTI) Commission includes amendments to the relevant law, enabling citizens to access government documents under right-to-information laws. Additionally, the cabinet approved the province’s first-ever digital social media policy. The digital social media policy aims to develop a comprehensive framework for regulating social media, promoting its positive use, and formalizing the province’s approach to digital media governance. The […]

• October 28, 2024
• General News

On October 26, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced that telecom operators in Pakistan discontinued using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) services in mid-2023. The services, which were used to block unauthorized content on the Internet, were halted following public concerns over the purpose and potential misuse of the technology. The PTA clarified that telecom operators had procured […]