
The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) released its Pakistan Media Freedom Report 2024–25, documenting the deaths of seven journalists in 2024 and describing a worsening environment for press freedom in the country. The report highlights incidents of killings, abductions, legal harassment, and forced exile of media professionals.
The report criticizes increasing state and non-state pressure on journalists and describes Pakistan’s democratic structure as authoritarian in practice. It calls attention to unresolved cases of past journalist killings and condemns the enforcement of restrictive laws such as the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025 and the Punjab Defamation Law 2024.
CPNE has demanded the repeal of these laws and stressed the importance of inclusive consultation in any future legislation. At the launch event, CPNE President Kazim Khan reaffirmed the council’s commitment to press freedom. “We dedicate this report to our martyred colleagues and promise their families that justice will be pursued,” he said, adding that the CPNE’s press freedom committee finalises the report each year.
Media figures including Mazhar Abbas, Wusatullah Khan, and Hamid Mir emphasized the need for trust in media institutions, improved governance, and civil society unity. They criticized the misuse of cyber laws and called for national dialogue to protect media freedom and constitutional rights.
The event was attended by prominent journalists and representatives of key media and rights bodies, including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). CPNE noted Pakistan’s decline to 152nd in the 2024 Global Press Freedom Index and dedicated the report to journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty.