ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has improved its ranking by seven places in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index after the government relaxed restrictions on media.
The international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued the 21st edition of the global rankings on the eve of the World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday. It said the South Asian country witnessed improvement in the latest index due to “changes of government loosened constraints on the media”.
A report issued by the RSF last year stated that s many as 93 journalists were killed in Pakistan over the past 20 years while the global toll during this period stand at 1668, an average of more than 80 a year.
The latest RSF index, however, said Pakistan now stood at 150th spot out of 180 countries, with a score of 39.95 as compared to 37.99 last year.
The index evaluates the situation of a country using five indicators, political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety.
“Changes of government loosened constraints on the media in Pakistan (150th) and the Philippines (132nd), even if these two countries continue to be among the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists,” the RSF said in its 2023 analysis.
“Despite changes in political power, a recurring theme is apparent: political parties in opposition support press freedom but are first to restrict it when in power,” RSF said.
It claimed that Pakistan’s media regulators were directly controlled by the government that creates hurdles in the public’s right to information.
“As the military has tightened its grip on civilian institutions, coverage of military and intelligence agency interference in politics has become off limits for journalists,” the organisation said.
