PAKISTAN MEDIA MONITOR – October 2025
A monthly report on trends relating to state of journalism and media rights, policies and practices
Tracking:
Media related laws, policies and regulations
The state of media professionalisms
The state of media economy
Threats and attacks against journalists and information practitioners
Vol. 6, No. 10 – October 2025 Edition
Produced by Freedom Network – www.fnpk.org
SECTION 1: Media related laws, policies, regulations, mechanisms
- Freedom of expression (FOE)
- Right to information (RTI), access to information (ATI)
- Federal and provincial governments (relevant ministries and departments)
- Media related regulators (PPC, PEMRA, PTA)
- Regulatory issues related to print, electronic and digital media
Supreme Court to live-stream 26th Amendment hearings
Date: October 8, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Express Tribune
Accepting applications filed by petitioners in the case, the eight-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court (SC) unanimously allowed live-stream of hearings on challenges to the 26th Constitution Amendment.
Aitchison College faces court scrutiny over RTI law
Date: October 30, 2025 – Source: The News
The Lahore High Court (LHC) began hearing a case to determine whether the Aitchison College falls within the ambit of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013, a dispute that could redefine the boundaries of public accountability for semi-autonomous educational institutions.
SECTION 2: The state of media professionalisms
- Media independence issues
- Public interest journalism practices and challenges
- Ethical journalism issues
- The state of thematic journalism
- Community-focused media
- Misinformation / disinformation / fake news
YouTuber loses defamation battle in UK court
Date: October 10, 2025 – Source 1: Radio Pakistan (RP), Source 2: Dawn, Source 3: Neo News
A YouTuber and former Pakistan Army officer Adil Raja was ordered to pay GBP 350,000 in damages and legal costs after a London high court ruled he had defamed a former Pakistani intelligence officer with unfounded allegations of corruption and electoral interference.
Date: October 12, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Pakistani entertainment has evolved. There’s a wealth of untold stories about our times. Today’s dramas often tackle grim realities while challenging stereotypes and addressing bold issues like child abuse and sex trafficking.
Russia, Pakistan close to signing agreements to boost media partnership
Date: October 19, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Russia and Pakistan are nearing agreements to enhance media cooperation and information exchange. Officials discussed strengthening collaboration between state-run broadcasters to promote content sharing and joint productions.
The AI storm drowning Pakistan
Date: October 19, 2025 – Source: Dawn
As floodwaters rose, a parallel digital crisis unfolded as Pakistanis turned online for weather updates, relief efforts, and communication. This surge in online activity fueled a wave of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated climate disinformation aimed at exploiting the tragedy for attention.
Date: October 19, 2025 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Journalists and media professionals will always remember Implementation Tribunal for Newspapers Employees (ITNE) Chairman Shahid Mahmood Khokhar for his service. He created an environment where justice, dignity, and professional honor thrived.
Pakistani channel apologizes to Maryam Nawaz on Toshakhana claim
Date: October 22, 2025 – Source 1: The News, Source 2: Pakistan Today, Source 3: Journalism Pakistan
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz won a defamation case in the United Kingdom against a private news channel that accused her of buying a Toshakhana watch through corrupt means. After three years, the UK High Court ruled in her favor, with the channel issuing a formal apology for the distress caused.
Parliamentarian booked for ‘Netanyahu meeting’ misinformation
Date: October 23, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The Nation, Source 3: The Current
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) booked parliamentarian Shandana Gulzar for allegedly spreading misinformation about a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the former’s trip to Egypt.
Date: October 27, 2025 – Source: The News
Television channels in Pakistan will soon offer fully localized content for each province, a shift once impossible under traditional models. This change will democratize production, allowing smaller creators to rival major networks. It also poses a new challenge for originality as AI algorithms shape storytelling.
SECTION 3: The state of media economy
- Economic landscape of media industry
- Impact of Covid-19 on media resilience and sustainability
- Government and private advertising for media industry
- Advertising sector and its interface with media industry
- Business viability and sustainability of media
- Wages, salaries and arrears of journalists and media practitioners
Sindh information secretary for timely advertisement payments to media outlets
Date: October 9, 2025 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Sindh Secretary for Information, Nadeem-ur-Rehman Memon, met with representatives of the Directorate of Advertisement to review and streamline the process of payments related to government-issued advertisements to media outlets.
Rs11 billion insufficient for PTV staff payments, NA panel told
Date: October 15, 2025 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting was informed that the Rs11 billion budget allocated for the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) was insufficient to meet the organization’s salary and pension commitments.
Cable operators seek government intervention after LESCO cuts wires
Date: October 22, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Internet and television cable providers condemned the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) for cutting their cables and disrupting services without notice or legal procedure, urging the Ministry of Energy and the Punjab government to act against LESCO for these disruptions.
SECTION 4: Threats and attacks against media and information practitioners, including online
- Murders and killings
- Kidnappings and abductions
- Arrests and detentions
- Threats – verbal and written
- Harassment and intimidation – offline and online
- Surveillance, hacking and data breaches
- Legal cases for journalism-related work or free speech
- Impunity of crimes against journalists
- Censorship
PHC suspends notice issued to three journalists under cybercrime law
Date: October 1, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Islamabad Post
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) suspended a call-up notice issued to three journalists by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), asking them to appear in an inquiry started against them over a complaint lodged by the Peshawar commissioner.
PFUJ condemns police brutality against journalists
Date: October 2, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the Islamabad police’s violent raid and ransacking of the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad. Police officials had unlawfully entered the NPC premises, where they attacked journalists who had earlier covered a protest outside the club.
Uproar after police rampage at capital’s press club
Date: October 3, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Hum English
In a new low for press freedom in the country, almost a dozen police officials stormed the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad and tortured journalists present on the premises in an apparent bid to round up a few protesters who had taken refuge in the building to escape police violence.
Civil society condemns advertisement targeting journalists, NGOs
Date: October 3, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Freedom Network (FN)
Media watchdog Freedom Network (FN), the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), and other rights groups condemned a government advertisement in major newspapers for portraying journalists and NGO workers as “threats” or instruments of “enemy propaganda”.
Date: October 3, 2025 – Source: Dawn
It is a trend often seen in authoritarian regimes that suppress dissent and protest. Sadly, the events at the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad show how quickly the federal government is shedding its claimed democratic values.
Date: October 3, 2025 – Source: The News
Press clubs have long been seen as rare sanctuaries for press freedom in Pakistan. The sanctity was shattered when Islamabad police stormed the National Press Club (NPC), assaulting journalists and damaging property. The outrage is justified – journalism and peaceful protest are not crimes.
Journalists rally as minister apologizes for press club mayhem
Date: October 4, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: The Nation
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary apologized for the attack on journalists in Islamabad, assuring steps to prevent its recurrence, as journalists nationwide observed a black day on Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists’ (PFUJ) call to protest the police raid on the National Press Club (NPC).
Arrest warrants issued for YouTuber, KP anti-graft officials
Date: October 5, 2025 – Source: Dawn
An Islamabad court issued arrest warrants for YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan and officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Anti-Corruption Department (ACD) in connection with an alleged social media campaign targeting Special Judge Central Humayun Dilawar.
Various factions of journalist bodies unite against police action
Date: October 5, 2025 – Source: Dawn
All factions of the National Press Club (NPC) united after police forcibly entered the club during a protest by journalists from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The raid reportedly followed demonstrators fleeing police action. A joint action committee including key media associations was formed in response.
Lahore High Court bans media interviews of detainees
Date: October 5, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
The Lahore High Court (LHC) refrained media houses from conducting interviews of under custody suspects and airing or publishing their statements, ruling that such actions violate the right to fair trial. The court observed, “A forced and publicized confession is not a justice – it is oppression”.
Journalists demand action over press club police raid
Date: October 7, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Express Tribune
A Joint Action Committee (JAC) of journalists and media representatives submitted a Charter of Demands (CoD) to the Ministry of Interior, seeking action against those involved in the police raid on the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad.
Journalist takes NPC assault case to court
Date: October 8, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The Islamabad Police assault case at the National Press Club (NPC) landed in court, after journalist Raja Rukhsar filed a petition seeking registration of a case through his counsel. The incident had sparked outrage among journalists and press freedom advocates.
State minister assures security for all press clubs
Date: October 8, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary told the Joint Action Committee of the National Press Club (NPC) that the security for press clubs across the country will be ensured in the light of the charter of demands presented to him by the NPC.
Uproar as journalist slain in Ghotki ambush
Date: October 9, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News
Two suspects were arrested after journalist Tufail Haiderani Rind and his niece were shot dead in Ghotki district, prompting the journalist community to stage a sit-in outside a police office to demand the arrest of the killers.
PPP delegation visits NPC, condemns police vandalism
Date: October 9, 2025 – Source: Dawn
A delegation of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) visited the National Press Club (NPC) to express solidarity with journalists over police vandalism within the NPC premises. The delegation stated that any restriction on press freedom would be unacceptable.
Balochistan police book several individuals under PECA
Date: October 15, 2025 – Source: The News
Balochistan police registered a case under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) against several journalists, a real estate industry leader, and a former police officer, accusing them of running a media campaign against a provincial minister.
PFUJ calls for urgent appointment of ITNE judge amid case backlog
Date: October 24, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) urged the government to appoint a judge to the long-dormant Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE). The vacancy has left the body non-functional and delayed justice for media workers amid an increasing case backlog.
Journalist to be indicted in drug, terrorism case
Date: October 25, 2025 – Source: Dawn
The trial of journalist Matiullah Jan in an alleged drug smuggling and terrorism case is likely to begin by October 31, as an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) decided to indict him on that date in a narcotics case registered in 2024.
Date: October 27, 2025 – Source: Dawn
The state’s lawfare against journalists to mute free speech has contributed to the existing atmosphere of intimidation in the country, besides undermining the government’s credibility. In the latest instance, an anti-terrorism court decided to indict journalist Matiullah Jan in an alleged drugs case.
Date: October 28, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Journalism in Pakistan has been in a sharp decline since 2022, with conditions for reporters worsening at an accelerating pace. The situation was far from ideal before, but the deterioration has been rapid. So much has been said that little remains to add.
Journalists, rights activists demand withdrawal of case against journalist
Date: October 28, 2025 – Source 1: The Friday Times (TFT), Source 2: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
A group of journalists and human rights activists condemned what they described a “fabricated and concocted” case of drug trafficking registered against investigative journalist Matiullah Jan, calling for its immediate quashment.
Journalist shot dead in Murree
Date: October 29, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
Journalist Zafar Saeed Satti was shot dead allegedly by an assailant in the Ban Union Council area of Murree. According to rescue officials, the victim sustained two bullet wounds and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Punjab, Islamabad ‘most dangerous for journalists’
Date: October 31, 2025 – Source 1: Freedom Network (FN), Source 2: Dawn, Source 3: Arab News
Punjab and Islamabad jointly emerged as the most dangerous places for journalists in Pakistan, with media rights violations rising by nearly 60 per cent in the year leading up to November. The finding comes from Freedom Network’s (FN) Annual Impunity Report 2025.
OBJECTIVES: This series of monthly report aims to:
- Monitor the state of policies, regulations and mechanisms governing the media sector in Pakistan; the state of freedom of expression and right to information environment in the country and how these interfaces with media freedoms allowed or restricted via media regulations governed by the print, electronic and internet regulators.
- Track the state of media professionalisms in the country including ethical and public interest journalism practices and challenges, and the challenges of misinformation, disinformation and fake news phenomena.
- Follow the changing economic dynamics of the media industry and how they impact the business viability and sustainability of media and exploitation of media staff in lieu of their wages and arrears.
- Scrutinize threats and attacks against media and information practitioners, the state of impunity of crimes against journalists and efforts to provide justice for those aggrieved and distressed.
INFORMATION SOURCES: This report monitors, among others, the following sources of information:
- Government: Federal and provincial cabinets
- Ministries: Related ministries, including Information and Broadcasting, Information Technology (IT) and Telecom, Human Rights, Science and Technology, Commerce and Industry, etc.
- Legislatures: Senate, National Assembly, provincial assemblies, relevant standing committees
- Regulators: Pakistan telecommunications Authority (PTA), Pakistan Electronic Media regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Press Council of Pakistan (PPC), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), etc.
- Global organizations: UN/Unesco, International Media Support (IMS), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), etc.
- National organizations: Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), BoloBhi, Media Matters for Democracy (MMFD), Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), etc.
- Media: Dawn, The News, Express Tribune, The Nation, Pakistan Today, The Friday Times, etc.
- Social Media:Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- Local networks: Journalists Safety Hubs Network, Alliance on Diversity & Pluralism in Media, etc.
- Any other open public information sources.
