Freedom of Expression in Pakistan

The state of freedom of expression in Pakistan is not the best, to say the least. Free expression is limited in a number of ways.

Freedom of expression in Pakistan is limited from two fronts: by government officials and by religious conservative groups in the population. The government tends to restrict expression when it threatens or contradicts the government's power. Restrictions stemming from the population itself often arise when something is deemed immoral or incompatible with the tenets of Islam. Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan provides citizens with restricted freedoms of speech, expression and of the press. In a laundry list of exceptions, Article 19 says these freedoms can be restricted by the government "in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defense of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, 1[commission of] or incitement to an offense". It is the jurisdiction of the judiciary to decide what restrictions may be placed on freedom of expression.

A lot of restrictions are put on broadcast media and regulated by The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and the President. Most recently, President Zardari blocked Geo TV News and Aaj TV on March 13, because of displeasure at their coverage of recent political events. The International Federation of Journalists has condemned this action, saying the Pakistani press was at the center of a struggle for democracy in the country.

Many recent restrictions on freedom expression stem from citizens themselves rather than from the government. For instance, the government's decision to block 12 Web sites in 2006 was intended to satisfy Pakistani protesters who were outraged over cartoons of Muhammad that were circulating on the Internet. The controversial cartoons were originally published in a French newspaper but quickly spread online. In response, the government blocked a dozen Web sites that contained the cartoons, including the popular blog site, Blogspot. Bloggers were outraged that they were suddenly unable to access their own sites, but the Pakistani blogosphere is not strong enough to influence governmental policy.The entertainment industry has been under more violent restrictions from certain citizen groups. Some religious conservatives who believe modern movies and music are immoral have been taking the matter into their own hands. In June 2007 alone, there were more than 20 bomb attacks on movie and music businesses in Pakistan. The government keeps laws over the entertainment industry, too. Indian TV channels and movies are routinely banned.

Sources:
"Pakistan Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers." Press Reference.
Bhutto, Mahreen. "Pemra amendments still a threat." Asia Media.
"World Press Forum slams Zardari for gagging media." Thaindian News.