Pakistan Press Foundation said authorities wanted to send a message that "fearless and unbiased reporting" will lead to financial ruin for critical media outlets.
This statement was originally published on pakistanpressfoundation.org on 6 March 2025.
Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is deeply concerned by the federal, Punjab, and Sindh governments’ decision to stop providing advertisements to Dawn, Pakistan’s leading English newspaper. The withholding of advertisements is an alarming tool the government has decided to use to strangle the publication financially and send it a message of the consequences of fearless, honest, and unbiased reporting.
PPF stands in solidarity with Dawn and urges the federal and Punjab governments to immediately withdraw their policy targeting the publication by halting advertising. We also call on the Sindh government to immediately stop their practice of periodically withholding advertisements to Dawn.
It is unacceptable that the federal and Punjab governments have denied advertisements to Dawn for the past five months while continuing to publicly claim to support journalists and the media. Despite claiming to stand with journalists and vocally criticizing other governments’ policies while in opposition, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government at the helm nationally and in Punjab has shown that its promises do not extend beyond mere lip service.
Meanwhile, the Sindh government has also “periodically” withheld ads. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has also repeatedly shared that they support journalists. Unfortunately, financially targeting the leading English newspaper of the country, shows otherwise.
In an editorial, Dawn reacted to the suspension of ads stating: “The current regime’s attempt to punish the paper has taken a different form, but its aim is the same: to apply pressure tactics to gain compliance. This publication always takes into consideration multiple angles when making editorial decisions. Others may not always agree with its stance, but pressure tactics will not force Dawn to abandon principled journalism. Its duty, first and foremost, is to maintain journalistic integrity.”
A declaration issued by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) cited the case of Dawn, stating that it was being denied advertisements by the federal, Punjab, and Sindh governments for “its professional approach to reporting and critical editorials.”
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed serious concern about the withholding of ads from Dawn and reminded the government that it was constitutionally bound to protect people’s right to information and freedom of expression.
“Tacit censorship in the form of financial pressure must not be allowed to control narratives or undermine press freedom. By threatening the survival of independent journalism and critical editorial policies, the government is doing itself – and the people it claims to represent – an enormous disservice in the long term,” HRCP stated on X.
The Karachi Press Club (KPC) has also condemned the move. In a post shared on X, KPC President Fazil Jamili said that the KPC stood in solidarity with the newspaper and vowed to fight together against all efforts to restrict free expression in Pakistan.