Rights groups slam Pakistan government for smear campaign against media and NGOs

Islamabad: Several human rights organisations and advocacy groups slammed the Pakistani government for running a smear campaign against the country’s media and non-governmental organisations( NGOs), calling the act “deeply irresponsible.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, along with several other advocacy groups and rights bodies of the country including Women’s Action Forum – Lahore, Shirkat Gah (Women’s Research Centre), South Asia Partnership-Pakistan, Simorgh a non-government feminist activist organisation and the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) strongly condemned the recent advertisement sponsored by the Pakistani Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that depicts journalists, NGO workers and ‘freelance’ researchers as potential instruments of ‘enemy propaganda.’

“Framing civil society actors and independent media as part of an information war is deeply irresponsible and undermines the very freedoms that sustain a democratic society. Independent journalists and NGOs in Pakistan already operate under highly restrictive conditions: frequent harassment, onerous registration and reporting requirements, arbitrary scrutiny of funding, and a climate of suspicion fostered by vague security narratives,” read a joint statement issued by the group. (IANS)

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