December 29, 2025
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Journalism in Balochistan is increasingly being defined by constraint — physical, economic and digital — resulting in widespread self-censorship and the steady erosion of the public’s right to information, according to a new study that examines the state of media freedoms in Pakistan’s largest province.
The report, by Freedom Journalism in Balochistan: State of Media Freedoms, Access to Information and Safety of Journalists, released by Freedom Network, draws on interviews and focus group discussions with journalists, editors and media stakeholders across the province. It concludes that overlapping pressures from insecurity, financial dependence and restricted connectivity have pushed journalism in Balochistan into a state of chronic vulnerability.
Despite its strategic location and vast natural resources, as well as being in a constant state of conflict, Balochistan remains marginal in Pakistan’s media landscape. National television channels and major newspapers have progressively scaled back their presence in Quetta, while coverage of the province is often episodic, event-driven and framed primarily through the lens of security. The report notes that this absence has contributed to a widening information gap between Balochistan and the rest of the country.
Unlike other provinces, Balochistan has no privately owned terrestrial current affairs television channel. State-run Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan remain the dominant broadcasters, though their reach is largely limited to urban centres. Private FM radio stations operate under licensing restrictions that confine their transmission radius to 35–40 kilometres, rendering them ineffective in a province characterised by vast distances and scattered populations.
Print media, traditionally the backbone of local journalism, is also under strain. While more than 120 publications are registered with the provincial government, only a small number function as regular newspapers with meaningful circulation. Many publications rely almost entirely on government advertising, a dependency that the report describes as structurally corrosive to editorial independence.
In recent years, the shift of government advertising to digital platforms has further weakened regional outlets. Delays in the release of advertising payments — sometimes stretching to several months — have resulted in salary arrears, staff layoffs and newsroom closures. According to the study, local newspapers have lost roughly half their workforce over the past two years, forcing remaining journalists to cover multiple beats with limited resources.
As traditional media contracts, journalists have increasingly turned to social media and messaging platforms to report from districts where institutional media presence has all but vanished. However, this shift has occurred in a province with the lowest level of digital connectivity in the country.
While Pakistan has more than 100 million internet users nationwide, Balochistan’s internet penetration stands at around 15 per cent. Nearly 60 per cent of the province lacks fibre-optic infrastructure, and journalists interviewed for the study described prolonged internet shutdowns as a routine feature of life rather than an exceptional measure.
In districts such as Panjgur and Khuzdar, connectivity has reportedly remained suspended for weeks or months following security incidents. The report notes that such shutdowns not only prevent journalists from filing stories but also compromise their ability to verify information, communicate with editors and ensure personal safety.
“These disruptions create sustained information blackouts,” the study observes, adding that they disproportionately affect peripheral regions already excluded from mainstream discourse.
Security risks remain a defining feature of journalism in Balochistan. More than 40 journalists have been killed in the province over the past two decades, around 30 of them in targeted attacks, according to figures cited in the report. Journalists face pressure from a range of actors, including militant and separatist groups, security agencies, political figures and tribal elites.
Interviewees described being caught between competing demands: militants seeking coverage for their statements, and state institutions seeking to shape or suppress reporting. In such an environment, self-censorship has emerged as a survival strategy rather than an editorial choice.
The report highlights the near-total absence of accountability in cases involving attacks on journalists. Despite repeated assurances from authorities, not a single conviction has been secured in connection with the killing of a journalist in Balochistan. While compensation is sometimes provided to families of victims, the study argues that financial relief cannot substitute for justice or deterrence.
Women journalists face additional structural barriers. Their numbers remain small and largely concentrated in Quetta, with limited opportunities for field reporting in districts. The study documents challenges ranging from harassment and pay disparities to the lack of basic facilities such as safe transport and separate workspaces.
Editors often cite security concerns to restrict women’s assignments, effectively excluding them from reporting on governance, conflict and development at the district level. As a result, women’s perspectives — and issues affecting women — remain underrepresented in provincial coverage.
Access to information presents another obstacle. Although Balochistan enacted its Right to Information law in 2021, implementation has been slow and uneven. Journalists reported routine delays, refusals and bureaucratic obstruction when seeking official records. The provincial information commission only became partially operational in 2025, four years after the law’s passage.
Some journalists told researchers that filing information requests had led to accusations of blackmail or harassment by officials, reinforcing a culture of secrecy rather than transparency.
Freedom Network warns that the cumulative effect of insecurity, economic fragility and restricted access to information is undermining journalism’s ability to serve as a public watchdog in the province. Coverage of governance, development projects, education and health has suffered as reporters struggle to operate under conditions of risk and scarcity.
The report calls for structural reforms, including sustainable financing for regional media, stronger safety mechanisms for journalists, meaningful enforcement of right-to-information laws and investment in digital infrastructure. Without such measures, it cautions, the decline of local journalism will further deepen Balochistan’s political and informational marginalisation.
In a province where information has long been contested, the report concludes, the weakening of independent media risks turning silence into the dominant narrative.