PAKISTAN MEDIA MONITOR – December 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. 12 – December 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
FAFEN report: KP public bodies publish only 57pc of required information online
Date: December 7, 2025 – Source 1: Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), Source 2: Dawn
According to a transparency assessment by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), public bodies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province proactively disclosed an average of 57 per cent of the legally required information on their official websites.
Government to publish asset details of senior officers by 2026
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source 1: The News, Source 2: The Nation
The Ministry of Finance announced that by the end of 2026, the assets of senior officials will be published online. Federal officers in grade 17-22 are required legally to disclose both domestic and overseas holdings, with the declared information made publicly accessible.
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
Information minister criticizes Imran Khan’s sisters over Indian media interviews
Date: December 1, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Daily Times
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticized the sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for giving interviews to Indian news outlets, accusing the family of “defaming Pakistan” while failing to address regional grievances or condemn India’s political leadership.
Information minister urges digital media association to address misinformation
Date: December 1, 2025 – Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar called for the establishment of a digital media association to strengthen accountability and ensure responsible use of online platforms aimed at countering the spread of fake news.
Interior Minister vows ‘massive-scale’ action on online misinformation
Date: December 2, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Express Tribune
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced a sweeping crackdown against fake news, warning that social media misinformation had reached a point where “90 per cent of online news is false” and would now face coordinated action from the state.
Date: December 2, 2025 – Source: The News
Journalism is often framed around objectivity and neutrality, yet this overlooks a deeper truth: it has always been a form of activism. Beyond conveying information, it is a moral and political act. It challenges power, amplifies the unheard, and shapes collective imagination.
Media bodies take exception to judge’s remarks about government advertisements
Date: December 4, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Daily Times
Media organizations called for “respectful institutional discourse”, cautioning against disparaging remarks targeting the sector. Their appeal followed an IHC judge’s comments on government advertising, including a claim that certain media outlets were “dummies” misusing public funds.
AJK Chief Justice urges media to verify court-related news before publication
Date: December 4, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Chief Justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Justice Raja Saeed Akram urged journalists to ensure verification of any news related to the superior judiciary before publication, stressing that accuracy was an “ethical, legal and religious” responsibility.
Religious speaker secures bail in alleged online blasphemy case
Date: December 4, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) approved the bail of religious speaker Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza in a case alleging religious hatred online, ordering his release. The case was registered by the NCCIA, which accused him of insulting religious personalities online.
Sindh lawmaker apologizes after raising false news of cricket’s death
Date: December 6, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
Sabir Qaimkhani, a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) legislator of the Sindh Assembly, apologized in session after wrongfully requesting the Speaker to offer condolence prayers for the demise of former Pakistani cricket captain Moin Khan.
Why Pakistan lags and international broadcasters choose India
Date: December 8, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
India’s global clout, diaspora, and market size make it a key hub for international broadcasters, while Indian media expands abroad with state-aligned messaging. Pakistan lacks the market size, advertisement revenue, and English audience to attract global media networks.
Uks shares 2025 data on women’s visibility in the news
Date: December 10, 2025 – Source: The News
Findings from the Global Media Monitoring Project 2025 revealed that women’s representation had increased in political and economic coverage, yet remained “very low” in sports. They were continued to be portrayed as victims at twice the rate of men, with associations to domestic violence and crime.
Reporting faith-based persecution: Journalists urged to be mindful of language, sensitivities
Date: December 10, 2025 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Speakers at a media training workshop emphasized that journalists should be careful in their language and understand the sensitivities while reporting on incidents of faith-based persecution and rights violations, noting that adhering to a rational framework would be crucial for impact journalism.
Alleged misinformation: PEMRA refers Aaj News episode to Council of Complaints
Date: December 10, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) forwarded an Aaj News political talk show episode to its Council of Complaints after concluding that it contained unsubstantiated and objectionable allegations directed at state institutions.
Navigating the digital shift in Pakistan’s media landscape
Date: December 11, 2025 – Source: Dawn
At the Red Sea International Film Festival, a panel of Pakistani artists explored the rise of digital platforms, cross-border collaboration, and the growth of streaming, predicting a decline of traditional cinema while reflecting on the risks tied to political filmmaking.
Date: December 11, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
Women’s presence in Pakistan’s newsrooms is steadily diminishing. According to latest GMMP findings, female reporters contributed only four percent of news coverage in 2024, a sharp decline from 16 percent in 2020, pointing to a structural imbalance that sidelines women from shaping media narratives.
Experts concerned over impact of disinformation on public understanding of climate change
Date: December 12, 2025 – Source: The News
Experts at the National Conference on Climate Disinformation agreed that climate resilience depended not only on infrastructure and adaptation planning but equally on integrating information integrity in climate governance to safeguard truth, transparency, and trust.
Plea in court against Bollywood film for ‘PPP defamation’
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune
A constitutional petition filed in a Karachi court challenged the Bollywood film Dhurandhar for using footage of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) rallies without authorization. It further alleged that the film depicted the PPP as endorsing terrorism.
Over a dozen threatening tweets from jail
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source: The News
In just the second half of 2025, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, while being incarcerated in jail, targeted one of Pakistan’s top-tier decision makers by name, more than a dozen times from his official X account, which reflected repeated accusations and defamatory language.
Date: December 14, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Machines now aggregate feeds, summarize judicial proceedings, monitor politics, and deliver conversational analysis. These capacities diminish journalism’s intermediary roles, repositioning automated systems as direct conduits of information.
Terrorists using social media to manipulate public opinion, asserts state minister
Date: December 16, 2025 – Source: Dawn
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry claimed that Pakistan had uncovered evidence of coordinated and paid online campaigns being run through fake accounts operated largely from abroad. He also stated that social media was now being used by terrorists to manipulate public opinion.
Climate disinformation: When false narratives deepen Pakistan’s climate crisis
Date: December 17, 2025 – Source: Voice.pk
Research indicated that climate disinformation in Pakistan is pervasive, largely disseminated through social media. Its repercussions disproportionately burden vulnerable populations – fisherfolk, highland communities and other indigenous groups – whose voices are marginalized and silenced.
Date: December 21, 2025 – Source: The News
Journalism demands verification, restraint and ethical responsibility, especially in the aftermath of violence. In the case of the Sydney attack, those principles were sidelined. Old and unrelated images were presented as current; anonymous social media claims were attributed to “sources”, and speculative commentary was broadcasted as analysis.
Parliamentary panel wants permanent head installed at PTV
Date: December 23, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Business Recorder (BR)
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting expressed concern over delays in the appointment of media organizations, including Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), and directed the ministry to ensure appointments to avoid administrative and operational disruptions.
Travel, food dominate TikTok searches in 2025
Date: December 25, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Arab News
TikTok released its annual review of the most searched topics in Pakistan in 2025, with travel, food, sports and entertainment driving digital searches. In a press release, TikTok said its search patterns depicted that people used the platform as a “discovery tool for real life”.
Leadership training program for women journalists held
Date: December 26, 2025 – Source: The News
A two-day leadership training program for women journalists was conducted in Islamabad to equip them with practical leadership, negotiation, safety, and decision-making skills, while addressing gendered challenges of newsrooms, press clubs, and journalist unions.
Where are Pakistani television dramas heading?
Date: December 28, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Pakistani television dramas are increasingly making their mark internationally, gathering new audiences in Bangladesh and Arab countries as well as the usual ones in India, Europe and North America. Increasing thematic trends included the love for the stalker, desperate women, changing family dynamics, and working women.
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
Balochistan introduces housing scheme for media workers
Date: December 1, 2025 – Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti launched a housing scheme for journalists and unveiled a series of initiatives to support media professionals, including assistance for low-income practitioners and families of martyred media workers.
Pakistan Railways outlines concessions for journalists and senior citizens
Date: December 10, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
Pakistan Railways informed the National Assembly (NA) that fare concessions were limited to journalists, their families, and senior citizens. Accredited journalists receive an 80 percent discount on most trains, while family members qualified for a 50 percent concession on select services.
Closure of private digital media outlet raises concern over job security
Date: December 10, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The shutdown of DawnNews.tv, an Urdu digital outlet of the Dawn Media Group, along with ensuing layoffs, underscored mounting instability in Pakistan’s media industry. In response, media unions pressed the government to safeguard journalists’ rights and enforce labor-law compliance.
Balochistan’s media paradox: Rs524 million in advertisements, empty newsrooms
Date: December 11, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
Official records revealed that the Balochistan government disbursed Rs524 million in advertising to 110 Quetta-based newspapers in a year, raising concerns about circulation credibility, transparency, and whether such funding genuinely benefits working journalists.
PAFLA for empowering journalists with freelancing skills
Date: December 12, 2025 – Source 1: Express Tribune, Source 2: Business Recorder (BR)
The Pakistan Freelancers’ Association (PFA) announced an initiative to strengthen journalists and enhance their freelancing skills, working in partnership with press clubs and associations nationwide. The announcement followed a capacity-building session held at the Karachi Press Club (KPC).
Dawn struggle deepens as closure raises fears for its future
Date: December 12, 2025 – Source: Journalism Pakistan (JP)
The Dawn Media Group is facing mounting closures, financial strain, and growing political pressure, leaving its once-formidable newsroom struggling to survive. The challenges reflect not only the group’s internal crisis but also a broader squeeze on independent journalism in Pakistan.
PAS sets 2026 targets as members elect new council
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source 1: Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS), Source 2: The News
The Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS) concluded its 28th annual general body meeting by outlining key initiatives for 2026 and conducting elections for the 2026-2027 executive council.
Media bodies condemn government advertisement ban for Dawn outlets as tool to gag press
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Several media bodies condemned the government’s unannounced restriction on advertisements to Dawn Media Group’s television and radio outlets – imposed after curtailing advertisements to its newspaper – and called on the authorities to rescind the ban.
Date: December 14, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Silencing dissenting media through punitive measures in untenable in the digital age. Restricting advertisements to outlets like the Dawn Media Group weakens credible journalism. Such actions create vacuums quickly filled by disinformation.
Suspension of government advertisements termed bid to control media
Date: December 14, 2025 – Source: The News
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), representing journalists’ organizations and media bodies, denounced the suspension of government advertisements to ‘unfavorable’ print and broadcast outlets. It characterized the move as a direct assault on editorial independence.
HRCP, APNEC condemn government advertisement ban on Dawn outlets
Date: December 17, 2025 – Source: Dawn
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) condemned the ban on government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group and its outlets, terming it an attack on freedom of expression.
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
FCC weighs suo moto action in Arshad Sharif murder case
Date: December 4, 2025 – Source: Dawn
The Federal Constitution Court (FCC) discussed whether it could continue proceedings in the murder case of journalist Arshad Sharif, as the suo moto powers earlier invoked by the Supreme Court while taking up the matter had been curtailed after the 27th Amendment.
FCC seeks report on progress in Arshad Sharif murder case
Date: December 4, 2025 – Source 1: The News, Source 2: Business Recorder (BR)
The Federal Constitution Court (FCC) sought an updated progress report on investigation into the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif and asked lawyers of all parties to assist the court on the question of its suo mot jurisdiction.
November 2025: Journalists face 11 threat cases
Date: December 5, 2025 – Source: Freedom Network (FN)
In November 2025, 11 Pakistani journalists faced threats including murder warnings, arrests, legal actions, and harm. The cases were recorded by Freedom Network’s (FN) Pakistan Press Safety Hubs Network, operational in collaboration with seven major press clubs since 2016.
Islamabad court declares journalists, PTI leader absconders in propaganda cases
Date: December 7, 2025 – Source 1: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), Source 2: Dawn
Journalists Ahmed Noorani and Jamil Farooqui, along with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Seemabia Tahir, were declared absconders by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in separate cases pertaining to alleged propaganda against the Pakistan Army on social media.
Controversial tweets: Journalists urge court to quash case against human rights activist
Date: December 11, 2025 – Source 1: Journalism Pakistan (JP), Source 2: The Friday Times (TFT)
A collective of journalists and activists expressed concern over issuance of non-bailable warrants against human rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, describing the controversial tweets case registered against them as “agenda-driven”.
‘Indifference’ of X over Imran Khan’s tweets irks government
Date: December 12, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik said the government may consider banning social media platforms that fail to cooperate with authorities. He noted that investigations were underway regarding a possible ban on former prime minister Imran Khan’s X account.
Pakistan warns social media platforms of enforcing ‘Brazil-style rules’
Date: December 12, 2025 – Source: The News
Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik cautioned social media platforms to comply with government regulatory directives or risk enforcement measures modeled on Brazil’s stringent censorship approach.
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source: Dawn
The federal government’s latest threat to shut down X marks a dangerous escalation in Pakistan’s crackdown on digital dissent. This goes beyond regulating harmful content, a challenge faced globally. It signals an effort to restrict independent expression that challenges state narratives.
YouTube blocks dating show in Pakistan
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Arab News
YouTube paused availability of over 50 full episodes of Lazawaal Ishq, an Istanbul-based Pakistani dating show. The show’s production team advised viewers to watch the show from Pakistan using virtual private networks (VPNs).
Supreme Court rules forced DNA testing unlawful, a breach of privacy
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source 1: Express Tribune, Source 2: Pakistan Today, Source 3: The Nation
The Supreme Court ruled that a DNA test without consent of an individual constitutes a violation of his fundamental rights to liberty and privacy as guaranteed in Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution. Through this order, the apex bench set aside an earlier decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC).
Internet disruptions persist in Balochistan
Date: December 13, 2025 – Source: Express Tribune
Mobile internet in Quetta has been partially disrupted, with speeds throttled to near un-usability rather than fully suspended. The Balochistan government, aiming to avoid public backlash from total bans, is using this slower-speed approach.
Civil society pledges collective resistance to speech curbs
Date: December 25, 2025 – Source: Dawn
At a Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) moot in Islamabad, speakers reiterated their opposition to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, denouncing its stifling effects on citizens, and urged the formation of a broad civil society coalition to safeguard freedom of expression.
Journalism is lost in Balochistan, claims Freedom Network report
Date: December 29, 2025 – Source 1: Freedom Network (FN), Source 2: Dawn, Source 3: The News
A Freedom Network report on journalism in Balochistan highlighted how pressure, intimidation and violence from multiple actors have caused the space for press freedom to shrink in the province.
Punjab minister walks out of PA in solidarity with journalists over ‘ill-treatment’
Date: December 31, 2025 – Source: Dawn
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari staged a walkout during a Punjab Assembly (PA) session in solidarity with journalists who had been boycotting the legislature over alleged “ill-treatment” during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s visit to the assembly.
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.
