Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021

The Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021 was introduced to protect Journalists and media professionals from incidents like harassment and unlawful interference of third parties. It was established to safeguard their rights and enable them to perform their duties without any pressure and safely.

Background and purpose

Journalists in Pakistan have faced threats, violence, harassment and illegal intervention into their work, when they used to report on important issues. Such issues can restrict the freedom of speech and expression of media professionals and Journalists, as contained in Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, as well as in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and can also prevent the public from receiving rightful information. For instance, as reported by Freedom Network, 53 Journalists were killed in Pakistan from 2012 to 2022, which showcases the serious threat to Journalists. 

In response to such issues, the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill was introduced in the National Assembly in May 2021, and received presidential assent on 1st of December 2021, becoming an Act of Parliament. It was introduced to form a legal framework to protect Journalists and to ensure accountability for attacks against them and to promote press freedom in Pakistan. 

Key provisions

Section 3: States that Journalists’ lives and personal safety should be protected, which includes protection against kidnapping and forced disappearance.

Section 4: States that Journalists’ privacy and confidentiality sources must be protected.

Section 5: States that Journalists must be able to carry out their professional duties without unlawful interference. 

Section 7: This section requires the Government to protect journalists and media professionals from all forms of abuse, violence and exploitation. Any impacted journalist must file a complaint with the Commission within 14 days, after which the Commission must investigate the matter and take appropriate measures to ensure their protection.

Section 9: Introduces the Journalists Welfare Scheme to ensure that journalists and media professionals receive adequate training, insurance and safety measures. It makes media owners responsible for following the scheme and preparing a written safety policy to protect their employees, as outlined in Schedule I of the Act.

Section 10: States that the Commission is required to investigate reports of threats, violence and abuse against journalists and media professionals. It must ensure that investigations are fair and independent, and that those responsible are prosecuted. Journalists who cannot afford legal assistance may also be referred to the relevant Authority to receive free legal aid.

Schedule I: States that media owners must provide Journalists with insurance, pay their salaries on time, include at least one woman in their governing body and provide safety training, especially to those who work in dangerous areas.

Implementation and practical effect

This Act protects Journalists from threats, violence and harassment and allows them to perform their duties more independently and safely without any fear of attacks. Simultaneously, it puts responsibility on the government to investigate attacks and on media organisations to provide safety training, insurance and other welfare measures, proposed by the Act. However, the Act’s effectiveness depends on whether the Act is implemented promptly and properly and whether those who are responsible are held accountable or not. 

The Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021 has also created a multi – stakeholder body to inquire into threats, violent attacks, arbitrary arrests and forced disappearances of media professionals and has also ensured non-disclosure of journalistic sources, which ensures that the main purpose of the Act is fulfilled. Moreover, oversight shifted from the Ministry of Human Rights to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting by cabinet decision. 

However, the implementation of this Act has faced many delays as we can see by the example that although the Act itself was passed in 2021, the Federal Commission for the Protection of journalists and media professionals was not established until November 2025, which means that the mechanism that had intended to address complaints of such nature, was delayed for several years. These delays also raised concerns among Journalists and press freedom organisations because a law cannot do what it intended to do unless the institutions responsible for enforcing it are not fully functioning. However, although the existence of a statutory complaint mechanism is helpful, it can not be as effective, if it is difficult for Journalists to access it without any problem and receive timely investigations.

Furthermore, a positive development took place in October 2026 when the Commission activated a complaint mechanism, which helped Journalists and media professionals to submit their complaints manually, and an online complaint platform is being developed. All of these developments are important because these help the law be implemented rather than just remain as written legal promises.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021 is an important step towards protecting journalists’ rights and promoting freedom of expression in Pakistan in accordance with Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, as well as in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as mentioned above as well. Although many challenges have been faced due to delays in the implementation of the Act, the introduction of the Commission and the complaint mechanism are positive steps towards putting the law into practice. In conclusion, the successive and effectiveness of this Act depends upon the cooperation of the Government, media organisations and the public to ensure that the media professionals and Journalists can work safely, without any threats and may be able to report on sensitive issues, exposed wrongdoing in the society and share information with the public without any pressure.