December 11, 2019 – CFWIJ member, a leading journalist in Pakistan, Munizae Jahangir’s show Spotlight on Aaj News was abruptly taken off the air on December 10, in an obvious act of censorship.

The broadcast came to a halt following a discussion on the missing persons’ issue. This is just another example of the state machinery using its resources to censor journalists when they cover human rights abuses in the country.

We urge Pakistani authorities to conduct themselves with more transparency. A free country requires a free press.

On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, Munizae had taken lawyer and President of Peshawar High Court Bar Association Latif Afridi on call to highlight the plight of missing persons in Pakistan. The broadcast went dark as the discussion progressed.

The Coalition spoke with Munizae to understand why her show was taken off the air. “Neither the channel nor I, in particular, have received a call to pull this show off the air. However, we are investigating the matter to find out exactly what happened,” she said when speaking about the sudden development.

However, she went on to say that there is a general feeling of claustrophobia among journalists in the country and shrinking space for freedom of expression. “On a larger picture, this is a fact. In Pakistan, there are many holy cows now and they keep multiplying,” she told us.

This is not the first time Munizae’s show has been interrupted. In a bid to censor sensitive content, there have been instances where interviews have been muted in the past as well. Journalists in Pakistan, especially ones like our member Munizae, face immense restrictions when discussing matters related to human rights.

A week ago, senior Pakistani journalist Saleem Safi’s pre-recorded show Jirga was also pulled off the air during his interview with former Chief of Army Staff General (R) Mirza Aslam Baig. A similar tactic was also employed when senior journalist Hamid Mir interviewed former president Asif Ali Zardari this summer. Recently, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz’s interview was also taken off the air.

We are disappointed to see the way journalists, particularly women journalists, are encountering censorship on national television.

While the news channel says, the matter is still under investigation, our founding director Kiran Nazish points out, “The channels usually do not have much power to reveal the facts that point to the direction of perpetrators, especially when it is linked with the establishment. This was something possible — barely — a few years ago, but today after a series of events the establishment has been involved in, including the aggressive campaign to take down PM Shareef and openly bragging about the bringing Imran Khan to power, it is nearly impossible for any channel to challenge the power the establishment has drawn.” What is also true however, she says, “In the context of Pakistan it is not very difficult to understand if and when the state is behind such attacks. In other words, who else could be behind taking a TV show off air? Munizae Jahangir is one of the very few journalists in Pakistan who are able to report fiercely, and when critical voices like hers are being silenced, the nation is being silenced.”

We find the act unacceptable and urge Pakistani authorities to ensure press freedom in the country.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

For more information please visit www.womeninjournalism.org.

Press Inquiries: press@womeninjournalism.org