On this year’s World Press Freedom Day, a bomb blast targeted a regional journalist, Siddique Mengal, in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan. Being the current president of the district press club, Mengal appeared to be the intended target of the attack after having received several death threats in the past year.

The irony of this tragedy has only made it a more somber reminder of how perilous the nature of journalism has become in Pakistan. Besides the high risks of the occupation now, the incident has reaffirmed the insights revealed by organizations like Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which considers Pakistan as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, ranked at 150 on their index for 2024.

The Press Freedom report published last week documented how journalists often face intimidation in the pursuit of uncovering the truth in Pakistan. As reported by the CJP, at least 62 media workers have been killed in Pakistan since 1992. Over the years, as the need for independent and conscientious journalism has increased, so too have the accompanying risks and dangers associated with journalism. We are living in an era where misinformation and propaganda thrive, making journalism a life-saving profession, and yet it has become a life-threatening profession in our nation. The media plays a hugely important role, questioning the decisions of our authorities and holding them accountable for their actions – because no one else probably will.

It is due to responsible journalism that the narratives surrounding Gaza in the Western world have been reshaped – biased narratives propelled by the state are no longer accepted by the general public. Journalism plays a massive role in driving people to change and forming their own unbiased perception, despite state influence over the media. For a government like ours that has banned an entire platform (X) for its contribution to vaguely defined misinformation, conventional wisdom would dictate that we try our level best to elevate the journalistic integrity that we do have, and ensure that the right information is given to the public.

Our government must now stand by its reasoning, and proactively show its commitment to defending press freedom by getting to the bottom of these targeted attacks and eliminating any threats to our journalists’ safety.