Islamabad, Pakistan – Journalist Amir Mehmood* was preparing for work when his telephone buzzed with a WhatsApp message.
As a member of the highest administration at a non-public information channel in Pakistan’s second-largest metropolis, Lahore, Mehmood was used to getting continuous calls and messages, even at odd hours.
However the identify of the sender of that message on Tuesday morning caught his consideration and he instantly picked up his telephone. It was an official who belonged to the nation’s highly effective army, which has immediately dominated over Pakistan for greater than three many years of its 75-year existence as a constitutional republic and has managed most levers of energy, from behind the scenes, even when civilian governments have been in workplace.
“Basically, the person pointed out some of our election coverage and said we must not use the flags of PTI or mention their affiliation with candidates backed by the party. It instructed us to clearly identify the candidates only as ‘independent’ and not show which party they were related to,” Mehmood advised Al Jazeera.
Mehmood is amongst a number of journalists working in newsrooms of various TV information channels and internet retailers, who’ve advised Al Jazeera of directions they’ve obtained successfully imposing near-blanket censorship on protection of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) celebration forward of the nation’s February 8 elections.
PTI, based by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is broadly seen as probably the nation’s hottest political celebration. However Khan, a cricketing icon, has been imprisoned since August 2023 as he awaits trials over costs of corruption and leaking of state secrets and techniques – allegations he dismisses as being politically motivated.
Since he misplaced a confidence vote in parliament in April 2022 and was compelled out of energy, Khan and his PTI have confronted a crackdown. Tens of 1000’s of the PTI’s members have been arrested and a whole lot of leaders have stop the celebration – many below alleged strain by the army.
The nomination papers of Khan and dozens of his celebration leaders for the February 8 elections have been rejected by the Election Fee of Pakistan. Lately, the Supreme Courtroom upheld the ballot fee’s choice to strip the PTI of its election image – a cricket bat – forcing most of the celebration’s candidates to contest the vote as independents.
Pakistani media was already barred from reporting Khan’s speeches or rallies on TV. However now, the restrictions on protection of the PTI seem to have change into much more expansive.
No flag, no reference
As quickly as Mehmood obtained the WhatsApp message, he shared it along with his boss. After a short dialogue, the 2 issued a channel-wide discover to take away PTI references from all visuals, graphics and speaking factors, and determine its candidates solely as independents, with no point out of the celebration they symbolize.
Of the seven journalists Al Jazeera spoke to, six insisted on anonymity for concern of reprisals from their organisations. Three of them, together with Mehmood, confirmed receiving directions on Tuesday to not run PTI flags or present celebration affiliations with their candidates.
A Lahore-based government producer at one of many prime information channels additionally confirmed receiving directions from his administration, which mentioned that candidates endorsed by the PTI should not be recognized as such.
“We are told to not even display the PTI party flag with their name, and to emphasize that they are only independent candidate,” he advised Al Jazeera.
Murtaza Solangi, Pakistan’s caretaker info minister, nonetheless, denied the claims. “We have NOT issued any orders like that,” he replied to Al Jazeera in a WhatsApp message.
The nation’s media regulator, the Pakistan Digital Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), has to this point not issued an official assertion or order that considerations limiting protection of any celebration. It didn’t reply to queries by Al Jazeera on whether or not such directions had been issued.
Inter Providers Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, additionally didn’t reply to questions despatched by Al Jazeera.
Plain intimidation
It isn’t simply journalists who’re alleging censorship. The Human Rights Watch in its newest report mentioned the Pakistani authorities has elevated strain on media retailers and people.
To make certain, accusations of censorship, pre-poll rigging and suppression of dissent are usually not new within the nation. “This pattern of instructions coming down from the establishment has been going on for a long time,” mentioned Mehmood. It was different events that confronted the brunt earlier. Now, it’s the PTI’s flip.
Certainly, when Khan was prime minister and the PTI was in energy – it loved good relations on the time with the “establishment”, a euphemism for the Pakistani army – worldwide media watchdogs corresponding to Reporters With out Borders issued experiences condemning harassment and intimidation of journalists.
Now, along with the intimidation and harassment confronted by Khan and his celebration management, media personnel recognized as PTI-leaning have been focused too.
A number of journalists have been picked up by state authorities, typically with out clarification, and saved in detention for days and even months. Many others have confronted costs of sedition.
All of the journalists Al Jazeera spoke to pointed to the occasions of Might 9 final yr as a turning level – a second after which Pakistani authorities have engaged in unprecedented ranges of media monitoring and censorship, they mentioned.
On that day, 1000’s of PTI and Khan supporters got here out on the streets to protest their chief’s arrest in a corruption case. Whereas Khan was launched after a short detention, the rioters torched authorities buildings and army installations, leading to an enormous crackdown in opposition to the celebration and its supporters.
Days after the occasions of Might 9, media watchdog PEMRA issued a round, implementing a ban on protection of these concerned within the riots, and later it was reported {that a} ban had been imposed on utilizing Khan’s identify or his picture in broadcast protection.
An Islamabad-based journalist, who’s the web site editor of a information channel, defined that after Might 9, there have been clear instructions that something concerning Khan or his celebration that went on air or on-line required clearance from prime administration.
“We understand that PTI and Imran Khan are right now entities which are out of favour, so we work accordingly. For example, we try to avoid using Khan’s photo as much as possible but if it is necessary, we try to use one in which he appears worried, or distressed, kind of building a particular perception about him,” he advised Al Jazeera.
What makes the state of affairs much more difficult, says one other journalist with practically 15 years of expertise in print and digital journalism, is the dearth of readability and the “arbitrary” method of censorship.
“Prior to the 2018 polls, there was some clarity on what we could say and could. Now, sometimes Imran Khan and news related to him are mentioned on TV, or instructions are to use his name only in the text of the story but not in the headline. It appears that this confusion is done deliberately,” the journalist advised Al Jazeera.
One other instance she cited was the utilization of the time period “establishment” for the Pakistani army.
“Last year, we were instructed to not directly the use term establishment on TV or in news reports, but use some other alternatives, even when everybody knows who we are talking about. We stopped for a while, but our channel is again using the term, without any consequences,” she added.
Modified ways
Azaz Syed, a veteran journalist who works for the nation’s largest media outlet Geo, mentioned that whereas assaults on the media and efforts to censor the press have been a actuality of Pakistani journalism for many years, the ways have now developed.
Referring to a lot of incidents previously, Syed mentioned that, earlier, journalists related to information organisations could be focused individually.
“While those individuals, who are primarily working in a personal capacity as social media journalists, still continue to get targeted such as Imran Riaz Khan, by and large, the intimidation and pressure is now exerted on media owners and the top tier of management,” he advised Al Jazeera. Imran Riaz Khan, a preferred TV anchor, was arrested final Might whereas on his approach to Oman, and solely launched 4 months later.
An Islamabad-based tv journalist mentioned in his earlier function at one other TV channel, he would get direct calls from the army’s media wing however that has utterly stopped now.
“ISPR officials would call us to give directions about news agenda and editorial control, which at that time used to be in favour of the PTI. However, now this does not happen anymore. Whatever new instruction or policy decision there is, it only comes from management,” the journalist advised Al Jazeera.
Erosion of belief
Whereas the mainstream media faces the brunt of diktats on what to air and what to keep away from, the tentacles of censorship have additional unfold on the web and social media, thought of the energy of PTI and its sometimes youthful supporters.
On greater than six events within the final one yr, completely different social media apps corresponding to Fb, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and X have confronted restrictions, with three cases in simply the final one month. All three cases coincided with on-line occasions organised by the PTI.
On January 22, authorities officers indicated that they can not assure unrestricted entry to the web earlier than and on election day.
Solangi, the interim info minister, mentioned throughout a information convention that the current difficulty of web entry was induced attributable to “technical reasons” and there was no method he might difficulty a “guarantee” that this could not occur in future.
Ahmed Shamim Pirzada, director-general of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the telecom regulator, additionally mentioned in the identical presser, that present programs have been being “upgraded” with out offering particulars.
“Our system is being upgraded, and these [internet accessibility] problems could continue for two, three months,” he added.
Ramsha Jahangir, a coverage and communications professional on the International Community Initiative (GNI), an organisation centered on freedom of expression and privateness in know-how, mentioned these incidents and feedback are solely proof of “a longstanding pattern of censorship” in Pakistan.
“In the context of elections, internet shutdowns specifically prevent individuals from exercising free expression about the elections, undermine the watchdog role of journalists and media, and obstruct the efforts of those documenting elections, which limits information integrity,” Jahangir advised Al Jazeera.
These considerations have been additionally expressed by journalists, who say that if web entry is restricted on polling day, it might gravely influence their protection.
An Islamabad-based journalist, a part of the election cell of a newly launched TV channel, says that the current information convention by the interim info minister left him and his colleagues apprehensive about performing their duties.
“These kinds of things add extra pressure to a day which is already stressful. Imagine, if there are internet restrictions, how will we be able to coordinate with our correspondent out in the field? ” the journalist advised Al Jazeera. “How can we prepare for those situations?”
“While some large media organisations have DSNGs [Digital Satellite News Gathering units] in 10-12 cities, the rest of us rely heavily on WhatsApp and other social media apps to collect information. If the internet ends up being restricted, are we going to rely on only those few cities to give election results of a country as big as Pakistan?” he requested. DSNGs enable tv crews to distant and broadcast dwell from the spot.
Jahangir of GNI agreed, saying any restriction on web entry might result in additional erosion of belief and the equity of the elections.
“This brazen disregard of democratic principles sends a chilling signal that Pakistan is becoming an inhospitable ground for both freedom of expression and business,” she added.
Lopsided protection
The focusing on of Khan and the PTI, and the blackout of their political messaging, has led to electoral protection that’s bereft of the just about festive really feel of earlier campaigns within the run-up to the elections.
Mehmood, the manager producer in Lahore, recollects that in December final yr, he had commissioned a phase the place individuals in several areas of town have been requested to share which celebration would they vote for within the polls.
“The constituency where the vox pop was done, was a stronghold of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and over 60 percent of respondents said they will vote for them, with other 40 percent naming PTI. Despite that, we were instructed by the management to drop it,” he mentioned. The PMLN is the celebration of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned just lately from years in exile, and has seen a number of corruption circumstances in opposition to him dropped by courts, sparking hypothesis that he’s the army’s favoured candidate within the coming elections.
The Islamabad-based journalist who heads a TV community’s election cell mentioned he fears that the nearer Pakistan will get to election day, the harsher these restrictions will get to sideline the PTI and promote the PMLN and Sharif.
“What I personally feel is that these orders to promote PMLN will increase while PTI and its candidates, even though they are independent, will be pushed aside,” he mentioned.
Mehmood, the senior official of the Lahore-based channel, says there was whereas there was “undoubted” manipulation within the run-up to the polls in 2018 too, issues are far worse this time, and there’s barely even a whiff of “fair competition”.
“Back in 2018, we were never asked to black out any party. Even though Nawaz Sharif was sentenced and there were restrictions on him, his party, their candidates were all able to campaign. This time, there is no PTI or their symbol on a ballot,” Mehmood mentioned.
“The coverage is completely lopsided now. There is no level playing field. The latest instruction to remove the candidate’s party affiliation or PTI flag means the idea is complete erasure, so people don’t know who the PTI candidate is.”
*Title modified attributable to considerations over potential retribution.