It is a trend that one is associated with authoritarian regimes, which crushes the protest and cannot even tolerate the peaceful dissent. Unfortunately, what happened at the National Press Club in Islamabad yesterday is just another example of the speed at which the government is disinfecting the democratic norms that it says.
It almost doesn’t matter that the Minister of State for the interior would rush to the facilities to apologize “unconditionally” or that the Minister of the Interior ordered a “investigation” on police intrusion and subsequent violence against journalists in the club. It does not matter that the authorities tried to explain that the police action was initially aimed at a protest called by the Awami Awami Awami Awami Action Committee and that the situation had been out of control.
What worries is that barbarism with a shameless face at work, captured by phones and cameras, and circulates on social networks so that everyone sees it, will not disappear in an environment where there is an active campaign to take energetic measures against free expression.
The images and reports were traumatizing: journalists were beaten, dragged and pushed, their torn shirts, their team broke. No control of damage from the government will eliminate that memory.
As waiting, the conviction has been expressed from all sides. “We demand an immediate investigation and those responsible for the book,” said HRCP. The president of the Federal Union of Journalists of Pakistan said it was “one of the darkest days” in the history of the country. Significantly, the PFUJ, AEMEND and CPNE have affirmed that in recent days, ads sponsored by the Government have appeared in the media labeling reporters, independent workers and others as anti-state.
Media Watchdog Freedom Network has indicated the possible consequences of such dangerous ads: “instead of guaranteeing their safety and a support work environment, this campaign endangers media practitioners who already face threats, harassment and physical violence.” It is chilling to imagine the greatest horrors that are beyond.
There is no doubt that the years of state overreach have contributed to this quick and dedication situation. Politicians in opposition have spoken aloud of the importance of press freedom; Once in power, they have maintained rhetoric, but they instituted draconian laws as a sin to silence all dissidents.
The media staff has been collected, disappeared and killed. Some have appeared later, shaken and unable to continue. But the responsibility has eluded the perpetrators mostly without a name. Under such conditions, one would have expected a setback from the united and robust media, not unknown in the annals of Pakistani journalism.
Instead, today there is a divided community, unable to counteract silence. The need for independent journalism, fiercely defended by its practitioners, has never been greater. It is one of the latest hope to restore democracy.
Posted in Dawn, October 3, 2025
