August 19, 2026
Rehan Piracha and Farzana Ali
LAHORE
A wide-ranging charter of demands aimed at protecting and expanding freedom of expression in Pakistan was adopted on Wednesday at a roundtable held at a local hotel in Karachi, facilitated by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
The session, titled “Defending Freedom of Expression in Civic Space,” brought together senior editors, journalists and rights activists to respond to what participants described as mounting legal pressure, censorship, harassment and violence against media workers, alongside growing unease over restrictive media regulation and the detention of journalists across the country.
The roundtable drew a cross-section of Pakistan’s media and rights community, including Geo News Managing Director Azhar Abbas, HRCP Treasurer and veteran journalist Hussain Naqi, HRCP Director and journalist Farah Zia, HRCP General Secretary Harris Khalique, and HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt.
Also present were Karachi University’s Centre of Excellence in Journalism Director Shahzeb Jillani, senior journalists Wasatullah Khan, Owais Tohid and Zarrar Khuhro, former Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) General Secretary Nasir Zaidi, former PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar, and journalist Amber Shamsi, among numerous other senior journalists and civil society figures.
Seven-point charter
Participants warned that Pakistan was witnessing one of the gravest crises for freedom of expression in recent decades. They pointed to the unchecked abuse of laws such as the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), expanding censorship, surveillance, arbitrary restrictions on online expression, shrinking access to information, intimidation of journalists and increasing pressure on independent, regional and digital media. Importantly, they stressed that these curbs no longer affected journalists alone, but also ordinary citizens exercising their constitutional right to free expression.
The proposed alliance will bring together journalists’ unions, press clubs, freelance and digital journalists, lawyers, artists, civil society organisations and other democratic actors to coordinate advocacy, strategic litigation, documentation, rapid-response mechanisms and public mobilisation in defence of freedom of expression across Pakistan.
Participants also agreed on a common reform agenda. They called for the repeal or amendment of laws, regulations and administrative measures that criminalise dissent, restrict online speech or enable censorship; an end to impunity for attacks, enforced disappearances, killings, threats and harassment of journalists; and stronger safeguards to protect editorial independence from political, commercial and institutional interference.
The meeting further emphasised the need to create safer and more equitable spaces for women journalists and to extend equal protections to freelance and digital media practitioners. Participants urged journalists’ unions, associations and press clubs to modernise their role by providing legal assistance, collective representation and emergency safety support, while calling on media organisations to guarantee fair wages, written contracts, insurance and safe working conditions. Recognising Pakistan’s diversity, participants stressed that efforts to defend freedom of expression must reflect the distinct realities of all provinces and territories, ensuring that regional voices and civic spaces are equally protected.
The charter lays out seven core demands, framed as a coordinated roadmap for reform rather than a list of isolated grievances.
Legal and policy reform — Repealing or amending laws, regulations and administrative practices that criminalize free expression and journalism, restrict online speech, or allow censorship and arbitrary control of media operations.
Ending impunity for violence against journalists — Ensuring that attacks, threats, killings, abductions and harassment targeting journalists and information practitioners are properly investigated, prosecuted and punished.
Protecting editorial independence — Shielding newsrooms from state pressure, owner interference, advertiser coercion, political intimidation and coordinated disinformation campaigns so editorial decisions remain independent.
Safer space for women and freelance journalists — Guaranteeing safe, equal and harassment-free participation for women in newsrooms, field reporting, leadership and digital spaces, along with equal rights for digital and freelance journalists.
Modernizing journalists’ associations — Reforming unions and press clubs into stronger, more democratic institutions capable of providing rights protection, collective bargaining, legal aid and safety response.
Economic security for media workers — Treating fair wages, written contracts, insurance and safe working conditions as essential to press freedom, while reinforcing the financial viability of media houses as public-interest institutions.
Recognizing provincial diversity — Ensuring that protections for freedom of expression account for the distinct realities of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, respecting local voices in each region.
A call for collective action
The charter’s closing statement frames free expression as a constitutional right rather than a state-granted privilege, arguing that meaningful progress requires legal reform, journalist safety measures, editorial independence, gender inclusion, labour protections and attention to provincial civic space to move forward together rather than in isolation.
Signatories called on federal and provincial governments, Parliament, regional legislatures, political parties, the courts, regulators, media owners, journalists’ bodies and civil society organizations to adopt the document as a shared roadmap for restoring media freedom, protecting journalists and strengthening democratic space in Pakistan.