By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Media organisations across Pakistan have united in condemning a government ban on advertisements to outlets operated by the Dawn Media Group, describing it as a calculated effort to financially cripple one of the country’s most respected news institutions and stifle independent journalism.
The outcry intensified on Sunday when the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists issued a statement denouncing the 13-month restriction, which began with the flagship newspaper Dawn and has since extended to DawnNewsTV and the radio station City FM 89. The union called the ban “an attempt to control media and stifle free expression.”
In a joint statement, PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari expressed deep concern over the government’s decision, stating that it is an attack on freedom of expression and an attempt to financially cripple a respected media outlet. “Dawn was founded by the father of the nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the paper is respected globally for its unbiased reporting,” the union said, quoting its president and secretary general.
The PFUJ urged the government to withdraw the ad ban for the promotion of “free and responsible journalism” and emphasised the importance of traditional media’s role amid the ubiquity of fake news.“[The] PFUJ views this as an attempt to force the media group to change its editorial policy, which is unacceptable,” the statement read, adding that the union would stand in solidarity with the Dawn Media Group and called on the government to “respect the principles of press freedom and freedom of expression.”
The condemnation follows similar statements from other prominent media bodies on Friday, highlighting a growing consensus that the restrictions represent a broader assault on press freedoms in Pakistan, where independent outlets have long faced pressures from authorities. The Council of Newspaper Editors said Dawn is among Pakistan’s most respected media outlets, and stopping the release of government ads to the group amounted to financially crippling the organisation. Attributed to CPNE’s president and secretary general, the statement recalls Dawn Media Group has been providing unbiased information since the creation of Pakistan.
The All Pakistan Newspapers Society also spoke out against the stoppage of government ads to Dawn Media Group outlets, saying it is ‘dismayed.’ “For the last 13 months, Daily Dawn was suffering from [the] curtailment of government advertising, but now the news channel and radio [channel] owned by Dawn Media has also been subjected to denial of government advertising, which is not only unjust but also [an] attack on freedom of expression,” a statement from the body read. The APNS noted the step has been taken to “force the media group to change its editorial policy” and opined that since these ads were paid for through the treasury, they ‘should not be used as [a] tool to strangle the dissenting voices.’ “The APNS expresses its solidarity with [the] Dawn Media Group in this hour of financial stifling and urges … the federal and provincial governments to review their unconstitutional decision and restore government advertising to Dawn Media Group.”
The Pakistan Broadcasters Association slammed the ban on ads for Dawn outlets as well, saying it had always resisted “using advertising as tools to control media and free expression.” “In an age when fake news on social media is widespread, the role of traditional media becomes even more critical,” the PBA stated. It urged the government to immediately withdraw the advertising ban “in the interest of free and responsible journalism.”
The Joint Action Committee, comprising representatives of multiple journalist bodies including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, APNS, CPNE, Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors and PBA, also criticised the restriction. In its statement, the JAC said the government is using official advertising as a tool to pressure media organisations. It noted that Dawn Media Group has remained the main target of this ‘undemocratic’ measure. It said the group had faced the withdrawal of government ads for a long time due to its editorial stance and impartial reporting, and that the same restrictions are now being applied to its TV and radio platforms as well. It demanded that the government immediately restore advertising.
The ad ban is not an isolated incident for Dawn, which has encountered repeated obstacles in its operations. Earlier this year, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists noted in its ‘Islamabad Declaration’ that Dawn has been denied advertisements by the federal and Punjab governments since October 2024 “because of its professional and critical approach in reporting and editorials.” The Sindh government, too, has periodically withheld its ads for arbitrary reasons. This was not the only way in which authorities have tried to obstruct Dawn’s reporting – after the so-called ‘Dawn Leaks’ saga, the paper’s circulation was blocked in large parts of the country, especially the cantonment areas, on the orders of certain individuals.
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