Twitter campaign by Pakistani ruling party warns media against anti-state criticism · Global Voices
R Umaima Ahmed

Screenshot from YouTube Video by Naya Daur.
Pakistani Journalists are grappling with increased censorship and repression by State authorities. In early July, a recorded interview of former Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari was taken off air and many journalists began sounding the alarm against what is seen as an infringement on press freedom.
Most recently, journalists critical of the government and military have been targeted by the ruling political party via Tweets that warn the media to refrain from the “abuse of freedom of expression”.
The 2018 general elections, which brought Imran Khan and ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to power, also brought with it policies that independent watchdogs like Reporters Without Borders are calling “censorship” tactics. Other groups have also noted the general deterioration of the country's once-vibrant media environment.
On 16 July 2019, the ruling party's official Twitter handle,@PTIofficial, sent over two dozen tweets stating that critical coverage by the press may be deemed anti-state and has the potential to be seen as “treason”:
Media houses & journalists must take care that in their quest for criticism on State, they intentionally or unintentionally do not end up propagating enemy’s stance. Freedom of expression is immense power. And with great power there is great responsibility!#JournalismNotAgenda pic.twitter.com/YdxD9Al5Pb
— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 16, 2019
Freedom of expression is the beauty of democracy but if used for ill purposes, it loses its charm #JournalismNotAgenda pic.twitter.com/U6BjQmR0V7
— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 16, 2019
The ruling party’s Twitter account ⁦@PTIofficial⁩ put out at least 19 tweets this week warning journalists against what it called abuse of freedom of expression. This comes amid persistent complaints by Pakistani journalists of censorship and threats https://t.co/6lJCmdqHB0
— Saeed Shah (@SaeedShah) July 18, 2019
Ramsha Jahangir wrote in the Dawn:
At least four hashtags targeting journalism emerged on Twitter on Tuesday — two of the trends became top trends in Pakistan.
Analysis of one such trend #JournalismNotAgenda reveals that besides the PTI’s official verified account, other accounts participating in the campaign were also several factions of the PTI’s social media wing. The top tweets in the hashtag (over 20 tweets per account) were sent out by PTI’s Lahore wing and PTI West Punjab chapter.
According to her report, the prime minister's focal person on digital media, Dr. Arslan Khalid, said that PTI's official tweets were being blown out of proportion. According to him, the idea behind the series of tweets was not to ridicule but to ‘educate’ the media.
The Twitter campaign launched by PTI's Twitter account focused on what they called “responsible reporting” and was widely shared with the hashtag, #JournalismNotAgenda. A series of tweets both in English and Urdu asked journalists to “Be responsible and Build The Nation”.
Media is one of the most important pillars of a state. Irresponsible action can lead to destructive conclusions. #JournalismNotAgenda pic.twitter.com/kyRpCxLw2N
— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 16, 2019
The PTI Official account even tweeted about how freedom of speech should not ‘hurt’ national interests or the State. Some of the tweets accused journalists of spreading partisan agendas and profiting at the same time:
The part time journalists and full time propagandist and social media activists are getting desperate to pay off their master’s favours showered to them in past but it must not come at the cost of the future of this country. #JournalismNotAgenda pic.twitter.com/s78xSk3D84
— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 16, 2019
The official PTI account also criticized journalists who spoke about PM Imran Khan’s personal life:
Media is often considered a pillar of state. It is sad to see certain media factions & seasoned journalists who also scrutinize Prime Minister Khan’s personal life in the name of freedom of media later accuse the State for curtailing media freedom. #JournalismNotAgenda pic.twitter.com/fHCzqaQJae
— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 16, 2019
Recently Pakistan’s print and electronic media has faced economic losses, as a result, a large number of newspapers have closed down and journalists have been laid off. PTI Official cast blame for these economic losses on a lack of “quality reporting”:
In the age of digital media, print media had to bear the brunt. Media houses should have focused on quality reporting & strong business models. Blaming the death of print media on government is downright hilarious & misguided!
#JournalismNotAgenda
— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 16, 2019
Some ministers have jumped on the bandwagon and began actively shared the hashtag on social media, criticizing journalists for being irresponsible and demanding that they not hurt national interests.
PTI’s Central Information Secretary Omer Sarfaraz Cheema tweeted:
PTI support and have struggled for independence of media with a responsible role
The media plays a powerful role in shaping public perception
it should be fair, truthful and objective
Pak media is our partner in change and we respect its contributions #JournalismNotAgenda pic.twitter.com/XYXESszbeH
— Omar Sarfraz Cheema (@OmarCheemaPTI) July 16, 2019
MNA and Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit Baltistan Sobia Kamal Khan also told journalists to be ‘loyal to Pakistan’
#JournalismNotAgenda Those claiming freedom of press, have to remain loyal to Pak. Journalists pursuing Anti Social agenda of #SharifMafia & RAW don't deserve privilege of free speech at the cost of national security & public safety. Spreading dospondency & hatred is unwarranted.
— Sobia Kamal Khan (@SobiaKamalKhan) July 16, 2019
Besides the PTI official Tweets, another Twitter campaign was initiated with the hashtag #layofflifafaJournalists asking media outlets to lay off journalists who are allegedly getting paid to further the agenda of other parties – including what they are calling a ‘foreign agenda’.
We are @TeamPakZindabad Launching a trend against the Lifafa Journalists, Join us at 1 PM and expose these journalists #LayOffLifafaJournalists
— ♏ Ghazi Abbas ❕?? (@Gh_abbas1988) July 16, 2019
Media houses paying millions to few anchors but can’t afford to pay few thousands to small workers?
Stop exploiting poor for your own benefit.
Remember you can blackmail an individual but not the State.
Trending #LayOffLifafaJournalists at 1PM. Please join all to expose them. https://t.co/z78a1CRrjj
— Imran A Raja®️ (@ImranARaja1) July 16, 2019
In a response, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the tweets by the PTI official handle:
In #Pakistan, pro-gvt trolls are launching a new campaign against independent journalists! Dear @PTIofficial, don't you know that identifying the leader, the party and the State is typical of totalitarian regimes?#JournalismIsNotACrime pic.twitter.com/glfng0z35k
— RSF (@RSF_inter) July 17, 2019
Journalist Benazir Shah told The Hindu that these Twitter messages are not just “irresponsible,” they are outright “dangerous” for Pakistani journalists, putting them and their organizations at risk.