Days after Maryam Nawaz's controversial defamation law move, Imran Khan claims Pak media forced into silence

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, who has been lodged at the high-security Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi since his arrest 10 months ago, on Tuesday claimed that in Pakistan the media has always been vulnerable to control by the state while journalists have been targeted for their critical approaches.

Taking to X, he in a long post wrote, “In Pakistan, the media has always been vulnerable to control by the state while journalists have been targeted for their critical approaches. Over the last two years in Pakistan, the media has been forced into silence, and journalists who dissent face suppression.”

The former prime minister’s statement comes after the recent introduction of the ‘Punjab Defamation Act 2024’ by the Punjab government, led by Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The controversial legislation imposes severe restrictions on press freedom under the guise of combating fake news.

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Khan said independent media is one of the most important pillars of the state as it acts as a watchdog and compels the government to correct its course.

“My government tried to change this environment by bringing in the Protection of Journalists and Media Law but it has been sidelined since the engineered VoNC,” he added.

VoNC he referred to was the vote of no-confidence in April 2022 that threw out his government over an alleged leak of a diplomatic cable.

On Tuesday, the PTI founder cited examples of some journalists who were either murdered or forced to leave the country for their criticism of the Pakistan Army for its role in politics.

“Arshad Sharif was driven into exile by grave threats and was murdered in cold blood in Kenya. Dr. Moeed Pirzada, Sabir Shakir, and Wajahat Saeed Khan have been compelled to leave the country. Imran Riaz Khan was abducted and tortured for over six months, while journalists like Siddique Jan, Sami Ibrahim, Arif Hameed Bhatti and Adeel Habib have been under constant pressure,” he said.

“Who is orchestrating this systematic oppression in clear violation of our Constitution and our commitments under international conventions?” asked Khan.

He said that the crackdown and muzzling of the media through threats, harassment and oppressive ordinances is also a direct attack on democracy and freedom of expression.

Pakistan’s journalist bodies have challenged the Punjab Defamation Act 2024 in the Lahore High Court.

With inputs from agencies