Watchdogs Report Sharp 2025 Press-Freedom Declines in Pakistan and Nepal

Overview

• Pakistan’s CPNE says 2025 brought escalating censorship, arrests, legal harassment and economic coercion, with five journalists killed.
• Pakistan fell six places to 158th in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 World Press Freedom Index, reflecting tighter state controls and PECA misuse.
• CPNE documents coercive tactics including bank-account freezes, national ID cancellations, Exit Control List placements and suspended government advertising.
• Financial pressure hollowed out Pakistani newsrooms as outlets downsized or closed, high-profile anchors were taken off air and Balochistan faced prolonged internet shutdowns and unofficial censorship.
• Nepal’s FNJ recorded 139 press-freedom violations in 2025, with two journalist deaths, five bullet injuries during the September Gen Z movement and large losses to media houses, while criticizing a prior ban on 26 social platforms.