” Freedom of Expression” Does Not Come Freely In Pakistan
Due to the course of the pandemic, the threats to freedom of speech in Pakistan have exacerbated and this is quite concerning.
Pakistan is among those countries that fall short on Freedom of Speech regardless of its constitutional Article 19, according to which freedom of speech, expression, and freedom of the press with certain restrictions are guaranteed in the country. However, due to the course of the pandemic, the threats to freedom of expression in Pakistan have exacerbated. In an assessment titled ‘Pakistan Freedom of Expression Report 2020’, Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) said that the freedom of expression witnessed notable declines during the pandemic.
The report also stated the performance of Pakistan which was not up to mark in the areas used to access free speech. The scored result was 30 out of 100 on the Freedom of Expression Assessment Index, which assesses the freedom of speech of the country over the past year.
Media Matters for Democracy(MMfD) is focused on rights-based advocacy for freedom of media. Its assessment of the situation of freedom of expression in Pakistan was based on six factors, namely: legal environment, press freedom, digital expression, pluralism, the socioeconomic and political situation, and protection from threats to expression. It expressed that Pakistan’s media and internet regulatory authorities “continued to exert arbitrary legal and regulatory restrictions on speech and online content, by ordering bans, suspensions, and advisories against social media applications, entertainment content, and news discussions of social and political issues”
The consequences of restricting free expression during the pandemic are that it deprives the public of their right, which is to be aware and informed. Not only this but the media practitioners that do enable a certain degree of awareness remain vulnerable to physical, legal, and digital threats due to the absence of legislation for their safety in the country.
Thereby, a country that restricts the rights of its citizens from availing freedom of speech can not claim to be a “democratic country” by all means.
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