Apnec | Pakistan

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (Apnec) on Tuesday condemned the ban on government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group and its outlets and lamented the attack on freedom of expression. The HRCP expressed grave concern over the “rapidly shrinking space for independent and critical news reporting in the country”, including the ban on government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group and its outlets. The development comes as several media bodies have condemned the government’s unannounced restriction on advertisements to Dawn Media Group’s TV and radio outlets — imposed after curtailing ads to its flagship newspaper — and called on the authorities to immediately rescind the ban. “The HRCP expresses grave concern over the rapidly shrinking space for independent and critical news reporting in the country, including the reported 13-month ban on government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group, which has recently been extended to Dawn News and...