A journalists’ union asked Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan about his stance on freedom of expression after his special information assistant, Shehbaz Gill, announced that the Pakistani government Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would control all current affairs programs on television. news channels.

The Federal Union of Pakistan Journalists (PFUJ) said in a statement that the Journalists’ Corps expressed deep concern over Gill’s statement in which it openly announced that the Pakistani government Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would control all current affairs programs. on TV news channels and even finalize the guest list.

Calling it a fascist lean, PFUJ Chairman Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary General Nasir Zaidi in a statement strongly condemned the remarks and asked Imran Khan to clarify his position on Gill’s statement.

Union leaders said freedom of the press and freedom of expression are a fundamental human right guaranteed by the Constitution. “In addition to this, Pakistan is a signatory to international treaties and conventions on press freedom and freedom of expression. “We would like to know whether or not the Prime Minister will adhere to such treaties.

The leaders observed that since the PTI came to power, the media have come under enormous pressure. “There has been a phenomenal increase in incidents of editorial dictation, censorship, advice to the press, arm twisting of journalists, content control and the use of advertising as a tool to blackmail press houses.” , adds the press release.

Union leaders said on the one hand that the government is asking Pakistanis to improve the country’s image, but on the other hand “elements like Gill are doing the country no service by making veiled threats against journalists by expressing openly the government’s intention to muzzle the media. “

Imran Khan’s PTI party found itself backward on the proposed digital settlement bill after strong protest from the media community and journalists calling for a fight to preserve free speech.

As Imran Khan’s government mulls content restrictions on social media platforms, mainstream journalists are adamant not to allow such restrictions as they believe electronic media is already over-regulated, said reported The News International.

(Only the title and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

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