Jan 4 – Pakistan’s press corps ended 2025 working under a tightening squeeze, as newsrooms reported rising censorship, intimidation and financial pressure that critics say is reshaping what the public can read, watch and hear.A new assessment by the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), contained in its Media Freedom Report 2025, paints a picture of a media sector increasingly constrained by arrests, threats and legal manoeuvres, alongside economic tactics that encourage self-censorship. The report says the combined effect has been a climate in which journalists second-guess stories, editors avoid sensitive subjects, and media houses struggle to operate independently.Beyond direct intimidation, CPNE argues that authorities have relied more heavily on administrative and financial levers that are difficult to challenge but highly effective. These include freezing bank accounts, cancelling national identity cards, placing individuals on the Exit Control List (ECL), and disrupting revenue flows by suspending government advertising. CPNE warns that such measures do not merely punish individual journalists; they pressure entire institutions, narrowing editorial space across the industry.The council says the outcome is visible in the growing similarity of content across print and broadcast platforms, with editorial independence increasingly compromised. That trend was echoed internationally when Pakistan fell six places in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 World Press Freedom Index, ranking 158th globally, down from 152nd the previous year. The watchdog attributed the decline to tighter state controls, the alleged misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and sustained pressure on media organisations.Financial strain also accelerated the squeeze. CPNE reports that several media houses were forced into downsizing or closure, leaving newsrooms depleted and dozens of journalists out of work or removed from air. A number of prominent television anchors—including Kashif Abbasi, Habib Akram, Paras Jahanzaib, Samina Pasha, Sami Ibrahim, Arif Hameed Bhatti and Khalid Jamil—were reportedly taken off air or left their roles under pressure.CPNE further alleges that major media groups faced targeted coercion. According to the report as carried by Dawn, the Dawn Media Group experienced suspension of government advertising across print, television and radio operations, while the Jang, Awaaz and Waqt groups were also subjected to similar tactics.In total, the council recorded five journalist killings, multiple arrests and legal cases, attacks on media offices, and sweeping digital restrictions over the year. CPNE singled out Balochistan as particularly alarming, citing prolonged internet shutdowns and unofficial censorship that disrupted reporting and, in some cases, pushed local newspapers towards closure.