ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has slipped further down the list of countries in terms of protecting journalists, according to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index 2022.

Pakistan fell 12 places to 157 out of 180 countries, according to the report released on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. In 2021, Pakistan was ranked 145 on the Paris-based media watchdog’s list.

The 2022 edition of the World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories, highlights the disastrous effects of news and information chaos – the effects of an unregulated, globalized online news space that promotes fake news and propaganda.

The indicators used by RSF were based on a quantitative survey of press freedom violations and abuses against journalists and the media, as well as questionnaire responses from hundreds of press freedom experts.

Since its founding in 1947, Pakistan has oscillated between civil society’s quest for greater press freedom and the ruling elite’s constant reassertion of extensive control over the media, RSF said.

He said Pakistan is one of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists, with three to four murders every year that are often linked to cases of and go completely unpunished. Any journalist who crosses “red lines” is likely to be the target of extensive surveillance that could lead to kidnapping and detention for varying lengths of time in state prisons or in less official prisons. Moreover, the paraphernalia of the state is ready to silence any criticism once and for all.

Today there are around a hundred television channels and more than 200 radio stations, which play a fundamental role in informing a population with a relatively low literacy rate (around 60%). Many daily newspapers and periodicals are published in Urdu, English and the various regional languages. The English-language press, which is mainly reserved for the urban elite, has a strong tradition of independence and serves as a showcase for the two main media groups, Jang and Dawn, the global media watchdog said. Under the guise of protecting journalism, Pakistani law is used to censor criticism of the government and other state institutions. Despite shifts in political power, a recurring theme emerges: opposition political parties support press freedom but are the first to

According to the 2022 edition of the World Press Freedom Index, India’s press freedom ranking has fallen from 142 in 2021 to 150 this year. The ranking of all of India’s neighbors except Nepal also fell, with the index placing Sri Lanka at 146, Bangladesh at 162 and Myanmar at 176.

“Violence against journalists, politically partisan media and the concentration of media ownership demonstrate that press freedom is in crisis in the world’s largest democracy, led since 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.