Increasing curbs.

Byline: Huma Yusuf

OWN goal. That's how many have described our immigration authorities' decision to refuse entry to the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) Steven Butler when he arrived in Lahore last week en route to a human rights conference.

Butler's expulsion was the dark cloud that instantly overshadowed the British royals' recent trip to Pakistan. That visit was a soft-image coup, splashing the vibrant colours of Chitral and the grandeur of Badshahi Mosque across the global stage. But it is long forgotten, replaced by headlines about Pakistan's disdain for free expression and growing authoritarian tendencies.

The CPJ termed Butler's experience a 'slap in the face' for those who care about press freedom in Pakistan. What could express more flagrant disregard for free expression than preventing a representative of the CPJ - which last year described our media as being 'under siege' - from debating the issue at a conference? It's the bureaucratic equivalent of the government laughing at journalists' protestations against censorship.

This comes as no surprise to the industry. The PTI government has made its stance on journalism clear: the media is meant to be a mouthpiece, toeing the official line and serving as a public relations agency for (deep) state policies.

The media is meant to be a mouthpiece, toeing the official line.

While previous governments aimed to keep some issues out of the news through targeted censoring or silencing, it appears that this government (and its powerful backers) are out to dismantle the journalistic profession. This is apparent through online harassment campaigns such as the #JournalismANotAgenda and #ArrestAntiPakJournalist hashtags on social media, and more insidious means such as withholding government advertising expenditure and causing financial crises at media houses.

Journalists have already argued for the democratic necessity of a free press until they're hoarse (or trolled, or blocked from the airwaves, or bankrupted, or intimidated, or disappeared, or murdered). Since those appeals have fallen on deaf ears, perhaps another tack is required.

The government should realise that the success of its own policies largely depend on the presence of a free press. If your democratic credentials are doubtful, then an anti-corruption drive is exposed as political persecution rather than an overdue accountability initiative.

A credible, independent press can also be a government's best ally when it comes...

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