Following Shehbaz Sharif’s installation for a second term as Pakistan’s prime minister on 4 March, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for urgent measures by his government to rebuild press freedom, which has been badly weakened in recent years in Pakistan.

Sharif’s swearing-in on 4 March, a day after the national assembly elected him as prime minister, ended an electoral process marked by a significant increase in media freedom violations.

Proactive policies are needed in what is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists, one where the media are subjected to a high degree of censorship or self-censorship. As the freedom to report the news is a fundamental pillar of a democratic society, RSF calls on the new government to remedy the situation as a matter of urgency and is proposing specific recommendations.

The government must combat the harassment of women journalists, protect journalists by enforcing the law provided for this purpose, repeal legislation that restricts the right to information, guarantee media independence, and stop resorting to arbitrary Internet and social media shutdowns, RSF says.

“Shehbaz Sharif’s government has much to do to remedy an extremely degraded press freedom environment. Urgent measures are needed to guarantee the free flow of information and media independence and enable journalists to work safely. Military interference in the news media to put pressure on them and censor information, the abduction of journalists by intelligence agencies, the misuse of legislation to muzzle journalists, the arbitrary Internet shutdowns and blocking of social media, the draconian media laws, and the shocking impunity for crimes of violence against journalists are just some of the crucial challenges that need addressing. We call on the government, first of all, to respect the commitments made by political parties during the past electoral campaign, such as the creation of a Safety and Security Commission for the protection of journalists by the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz), and the revision of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 which was pledged by the Pakistan People’s Party”.