Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

There was slow progress towards setting up a Human Rights Commission for
Pakistan. The federal Ministry of Human Rights has undertaken to pass the
necessary legislation in 2011. A Human Rights Commission for Pakistan will be a
vital pillar to help ensure that the fundamental rights of all Pakistanis are upheld by
working to provide a more secure environment in which NGOs can operate.
Freedom of expression
In 2010 media freedom continued to improve, with more of the press openly
challenging the government and increasingly the military and security agencies over
matters such as enforced disappearances. The constitutional reforms included a
new article which guaranteed the right of every citizen to freedom of information.
This was partly influenced by a UK-funded project to promote the value of improved
freedom of information in support of better governance. We worked closely with the
Ministry for Information to support its work to formulate a freedom of information law,
through the provision of information and exposure to the UK system and the
challenges we have faced in implementing such a law.
However, despite these positive developments, Reporters Without Borders rated
Pakistan as 151 out of 178 countries in its “Freedom Index 2010”, making it one of
the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist. There were several
high-profile cases last year where journalists were attacked by unknown assailants.
Several journalists were killed in the border areas in terrorist incidents.
In order to restrict media reporting of issues deemed to be of national security, the
Pakistani government made moves to amend the current legislation governing the
activities of the media by imposing fines and the threat of imprisonment for any
reporting considered to be detrimental. These changes are still proceeding through
parliament. The government also intervened to block transmission – via the state
regulatory authority – of several channels, including the BBC Urdu radio service.
This action was challenged in the Supreme Court, who ruled in the media’s favour,
ending these restrictions. Effective self-regulation has yet to take root, and much of
the media is heavily politicised and partisan, and liable to interference by powerful
corporate owners. Overall, the media continued to become more open and hold the
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