At the World Press Freedom Day event hosted by the Center for Excellence in Journalism at IBA Karachi (IBA-CEJ),Pakistan’s leading journalists, editors, anchorpersons, and media advocates warned that threats to journalism are increasingly shifting from physical violence to legal, regulatory, and economic repression.
Opening the event, IBA-CEJ Director Shahzeb Jillani said, “We are holding this event at a critical time, when press freedom is at its lowest around the world. Yet, we are here to renew our commitment to public interest journalism, to report the truth with courage, but also to stay safe while holding power to account.”
Speaking during a panel on journalist safety, titled ‘Shooting the messenger - the price we pay’, the Executive Director of Freedom Network, Iqbal Khattak, identified regulatory repression as one of the biggest threats facing journalists. “Economic strangulation and abuse of cyber laws has emerged as a go-to tactic to silence dissent and punish critics,” he said.
Fellow panellist Adil Jawad expanded on this point, highlighting the particular vulnerability of digital journalists: “There is a growing focus on controlling the narrative on social and digital media. More and more digital journalists are being targeted by PECA, often because they lack the training on how to stay safe.” The panel also included the former PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar, who shed light on how Balochistan has been turned into an information black hole. The session was moderated by Nadia Naqi.
Al Jazeera’s senior correspondent Osama Bin Javaid, the event’s keynote speaker, delivered a powerful tribute in his session titled ‘Eyewitness to history: reporting on war and genocide’. “The freedom of the press around the world is owed to the journalists of Gaza on World Press Freedom Day,” he said.
The second panel discussion, ‘Reporting from the field? Navigating everyday trolling, pressures and restrictions,’featured women reporters Sidra Dar, Kiran Khan, and Yusra Askari.
In the concluding session, titled ‘Surrender is not an option’, Dawn’s Editor Zaffar Abbas was in conversation with IBA-CEJ’s Director Jillani. Abbas delivered an impassioned call to persevere despite mounting pressures: “I still believe that surrender is not an option. If you are unable to stand for what you believe in, then it would be better to quit and go home.”
He continued, “Serving society through your writing, broadcasts, and footage is a powerful way to let people know what is wrong, so that they make informed decisions. If we continue doing that, we can make a difference.”
Speakers throughout the event emphasised that as methods of suppressing journalism become more sophisticated, defending ethical, independent, and public-interest journalism has become more urgent than ever. 
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