IT has been a while since Pakistan did its image a favour; the most recent disservice occurred on Wednesday when law-enforcement agencies told British-American journalist Charles Glass that his visa had been cancelled and gave him five hours to leave the country. Mr Glass, who has worked for The Telegraph, Newsweek and other media outlets, had told local journalists that he had come to interview Imran Khan in prison. Ironically, just days earlier, the government had announced reforms to allow citizens of 126 countries to obtain a visa within 24 hours for business and tourism purposes. Unfortunately, the incident not only negates the permit policy, it also presents a state incapable of a balanced response. True, the authorities have prevented many people from meeting the incarcerated PTI leader, but such an arbitrary decision reeks of high-handedness.

This not the first time the media has been shown the door so abruptly. In 2013, New York Times bureau chief Declan Walsh was ordered to leave within 72 hours on the eve of general elections, a decision that earned the state both domestic and international flak. The fact that national and foreign media are not free to report has led to a pathetic rank in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index: Pakistan stands at 152 out of 180 nations. Expelling journalists reveals a shameful state of press freedom and a weak government desperate to throttle information to hide political persecution and rights violations. Such actions portray a hostile environment for journalists, while the attack on the freedom of information signals a fear of global censure. Pakistan must not join the league of states known to clamp down on media rights. Freedom cannot become sacrosanct without political commitment. As underscored by Reporters Without Borders, “…political parties support freedom of the press, but they are incapable of defending it when they come to power, due to the control of the military…”.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2024