FN Threat Data Analysis – September 2024
The Freedom Network (FN) recorded 14 threat cases against journalists during September 2024, which include:
1 Threat to Murder 
2 Assault without injury
3 Threat of legal action (by private party or state – law related)

4 Assault resulting in injury
These incidents are documented through the Pakistan Press Club Safety Hubs Network, a program managed by Freedom Network since 2016. The program, in partnership with the five largest press clubs in Pakistan—Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Quetta, Islamabad, and Peshawar—monitors and documents violations against media practitioners and provides support to journalists at risk.

Threat to Murder
Journalist: Waseem Qureshi, reporter, Daily 99 News
Date & Location: September 12, 2024, Rawalpindi, Punjab
Incident: Waseem Qureshi received death threats from an unknown foreign number following his investigative reporting on land-grabbing mafias in the region. The threats were made via phone calls, raising concerns for his safety and the implications of his journalistic work.

Threat Actor: Criminal Gangs

Post-Threat Developments:

1. Complaint Filed: Waseem Qureshi went to Morgah Police Station and filed a report seeking an FIR against a fellow who made an anonymous call. Nonetheless, the decision has not yet been acted upon by the concerned officers.

• Support from Journalist Organizations: The Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and the National Press Club (NPC) have condemned the threats in separate statements, urging immediate protective measures for journalists and the defense of press freedom. Freedom Network’s Pakistan Journalists Safety Fund will be invoked to extend him legal support if he wishes to avail.

Assault without injury
Journalist: Waheed Khan Tajik
Cameraman: Shamal TV Sami ul Haq

Date & Location: September 21, 2024 Samar Bagh, Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Incident: Waheed Khan Tajik and his fellow cameraman Sami ul Haq were violently attacked by staff at Samar Bagh Hospital while covering complaints about the hospital’s lack of facilities. Despite having formal permission from the medical superintendent, two doctors and other staff members tried to seize their camera and severely tortured the cameraman.

Threat Actors: State Authorities

Post-Incident Developments:

1. Journalist Union’s Response: Shamim Shahid, President of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Workers, and Secretary General Raja Riaz condemned the attack and called for the provincial health minister to take disciplinary action against the involved doctors and hospital staff.
2. Demands for Action: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Workers urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister and Secretary of Health to take immediate measures against the responsible individuals for the violence against the journalists. Freedom Network’s Pakistan Journalists Safety Program will be invoked to extend him legal support if he wishes to avail.

Incident: Police clash with Journalists During PTI Rally
Date & Location: September 12 2024, Rawalpindi, Punjab
Incident: Punjab Police violently clashed with journalists covering a PTI rally led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur at the Motorway 1 toll plaza. Journalists were assaulted, had their mobile phones confiscated, and some were detained. Additional incidents of police brutality occurred on Murree Road.

Threat Actors: State Authorities

Journalists Affected:

1. Haider Shirazi (Reporter, Geo News)
2. Sheraz Garezi (Cameraman, Geo News)
3. Zeeshan Gardezi (Cameraman, Aik News)
4. Iqram Ullah Joiya (Reporter, GNN)
5. Babar Malik (Reporter, ARY News)
6. Faizan Khan (Reporter, Hum News)
7. Saqib Rathor (Reporter, Daily Kashmir Times)
8. Gul Qaiser (Reporter, Daily Asaas)
9. Irfan Hashmi (Cameraman, Geo News)
10. Asghar Chaudhry (Reporter, Daily Mumtaz)

Post-Incident Developments:

1. Police Actions: The journalists reported that their mobile phones were confiscated, they were tortured, and some were detained in undisclosed locations but released the same day, raising concerns for their safety and well-being.
2. Media Response: The Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and the National Press Club (NPC) condemned the violence and organized a rally, calling for accountability and urging authorities to take immediate action against those responsible. Media organizations expressed outrage over the treatment of journalists, emphasizing the need for protection and press freedom. Freedom Network extended all-out support to the affected journalists.

Threat of legal action (by private party or state – law related)

Journalist/Media Group: Khawaja Kashif Mir (State Views Media Group)
Date & Location: September 12, 2024, Muzaffarabad Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan
Incident: Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq issued a legal notice to shut down State Views Media Group under Article 505 of the Azad Penal Code 1960. The notice followed the group’s investigative reporting on the controversial sale of Kashmir property across Pakistan, supported by documentary evidence

Threat Actor: State Authorities

Post-Notice Developments:

1. Government Response: Despite concerns raised by elected members of the Kashmir Council, the Prime Minister’s Information Department responded with a notice threatening legal action, sparking fears about press freedom in the region.
2. Media Group’s Rebuttal: On September 18, Khawaja Kashif Meer, Managing Editor of State Views, denied the AJK government’s allegations and questioned the legality of the Prime Minister’s notice. He emphasized the ongoing challenges to press freedom in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Assault resulting in injury

Journalist: Daniyal Syed, Geo TV
Date & Location: September 29 2024, Karachi, Pakistan
Incident: During a pro-Palestine rally organized by supporters of the ISO, a group of 20 to 25 protestors launched premeditated attacks on journalists, disrupting media coverage and causing significant damage to media vehicles. Notable news outlets affected included Geo News, ARY News, and News Tv.

Threat Actors: Political Parties

Details of the Attack:

• Journalists were assaulted while engaged in their reporting duties as speeches were being delivered. Daniyal Syed, a journalist from Geo TV, was brutally attacked by over nine individuals who struck him with a brick to the head, confiscated his microphone, and smashed it deliberately.
• The assailants shattered the windows of DSNG vans, hindering the ability of news channels to report from the scene. The windshields of ARY News and New TV vehicles were also damaged during the incident.

Historical Context:

• This incident is part of a troubling trend of violence against the press at ISO rallies. Two years ago, a similar protest on M.A. Jinnah Road saw journalists attacked by members of the MWM group, resulting in broken cameras and stolen mobile phones. While an apology was issued later at the Karachi Press Club, violent acts against media personnel have persisted.

Threats, Attacks, and Harassment against Various Types of Media:

Five Print, and Nine TV journalists received threats during September 2024

Threat Actors

Threat actors are entities from which threats originate. These include:
State, non-state actors, political parties, criminal gangs and unknown sources