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Freedom of Expression

Freedom of expression shouldn’t be misused: Pakistan

By: Mariana Baabar ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is asking the Ummah to unite and sue the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, which continues to offend the Muslims, by moving court against the publication and also seek an apology from it. Pakistan, while strongly condemning the publication of the blasphemous caricatures in the French magazine, according to the spokesperson at the Foreign Office, says,

The goldmine of free expression

By: Zaair Hussain We come into this world crying, and by that we are marked as healthy. We leave it with our last words imparting whatever final wisdom they can to those who matter to us. In those moments, expression is free and fearless. All our lives, the desire to express what we feel even if — sometimes especially if

The chasm between ‘free’ and ‘hate’ speech

KARACHI: In the wake of the recent scourge of terrorism in Paris, which left 12 people dead, including the editor and prominent cartoonists of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, netizens have harked back to the debate of what constitutes ‘free’ and ‘hate’ speech. Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi is among those who took to Facebook to comment on the subject, highlighting

The rivalries must go one – Pakistan media bitterly divided

The rivalries must go one – Pakistan media bitterly divided2014 has been one of the most difficult years for the Pakistani media. Due to the alarming, yet familiar, threats from militant groups, law enforcement agencies, and political parties, the Pakistani media remained bitterly divided. The

Efforts afoot to get journalists safety bill approved

By: Noor Aftab ISLAMABAD: The representatives of mainstream political parties on Thursday vowed that draft of the bill would be prepared and get passed in the Parliament to provide complete security and protection to the journalists and their family members. Addressing the meeting of executive council of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) held at National Press Club, they said

Blasphemy sentence against TV channel will have chilling effect

The prison sentence for blasphemy handed down by a court in Pakistan against four people, including the owner of a major private TV channel and one of its star actresses, will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and the media, Amnesty International said. The organization also noted serious concerns about the fairness of the trial. An anti-terrorism court

An Insider Account of Pakistani Censorship

Imran Khan, Tahir ul Qadri, and the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] are our best friends,” our weekly editorial meeting at Pakistan’s Express Tribune was (jokingly) told on Aug. 13, 2014, a day before the two political leaders began their separate long marches from Lahore to Islamabad, and plunged the country into crisis. “We know it’s not easy, but that’s the way

Pakistani schools network observes anti-Malala day

ISLAMABAD: An association of Pakistani schools held an “I am not Malala” day on Monday, condemning young Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai for what it called her support for controversial novelist Salman Rushdie. Education campaigner Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban in October 2012 but recovered and went on to win this year’s Nobel peace prize. The

Breaking the Cycle of Impunity in the Killing of Journalists

The lack of justice in hundreds of murders of journalists around the world is one of the greatest threats to press freedom today. While international attention to the issue has grown over the past decade, there has been little progress in bringing down rates of impunity. States will have to demonstrate far more political will to implement international commitments to