Pakistan refuses to refer to Prime Minister Khan as ‘anti-press freedom’ | Freedom of the Press

The Khan government has rejected the Reporters Without Border report, which cites him as one of the world’s 37 worst human rights leaders.

Pakistan has strongly rejected a report by international media that cites Prime Minister Imran Khan on a list of 37 world leaders on freedom of the press.

The outrage from the Khan government came in response to Monday’s report on “Media Violence Against Women – Former Abusers, Two Women and Europeans”, released by the Reporters Without Border (RSF) from Paris.

According to the group, “allegations of harassment by the military since Khan became prime minister” following the 2018 parliamentary elections.

“Journalists who cross the red lines have been threatened, arrested and harassed,” the press secretary said.

Pakistan’s Information Ministry, in a statement on Tuesday, denied the allegations, saying the Khan government believed in “freedom of expression and media freedom”.

In a statement, the ministry said it was “surprising” that the RSF had “just finished saying” that journalists in Pakistan were being monitored by the Khan government.

He said the government “has been doing everything possible to ensure that journalists do their job well”.

“It simply came to our notice then [Reporters Without Borders] has presented and attempted to insult the elected representative of the Pakistani people, without any conclusive evidence, ”the ministry said.

The ministry added that it hopes that “future generations will also avoid unscrupulous journalism”.

But critics say Pakistan has already become a dangerous place for journalists.

In 2020, it ranked ninth on the Global Impunity Index Committee, which monitors countries where journalists are frequently killed and their killers go free.

Although Pakistan claims to support the right to freedom of expression, human rights activists have often accused Pakistani soldiers and organizations of harassing and persecuting journalists.