Khan’s government rejects a report by Reporters Without Borders, which ranks him among the world’s 37 worst leaders for press freedom.

Pakistan has vehemently rejected a report by an international media watchdog that listed Prime Minister Imran Khan on a list of the world’s 37 worst leaders for press freedom.

The angry reaction from Khan’s government came in response to a Monday report titled “Gallery of press freedom predators – old tyrants, two women and a European”, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), based in Paris.

According to the group, “cases of shameless censorship have been legion since Khan became prime minister” following the 2018 parliamentary elections. threatened to withdraw advertising and signals from television channels. were stuck.

“Journalists crossing red lines have been threatened, abducted and tortured,” the media watchdog said.

Pakistan’s information ministry, in a statement on Tuesday, dismissed the allegations, saying that Khan’s government believed in “freedom of expression and independent media”.

In the statement, the ministry said it was surprising that RSF “jumped to the conclusion” that the media in Pakistan is subject to draconian censorship measures by Khan’s government.

He said the government had “taken all possible measures to create a pleasant environment for journalists to fulfill their professional obligations”.

“It seems that the report that [Reporters Without Borders] published is an attempt to slander the elected representative of the people of Pakistan, without any corroborating evidence,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that it hopes the watchdog will “avoid such irresponsible journalism in the future”.

But critics say Pakistan has long been a deadly place for journalists.

In 2020, it ranked ninth in the Committee to Protect Journalists’ annual Global Impunity Index, which assesses countries where journalists are routinely murdered and their killers go free.

Although Pakistan says it supports freedom of expression, rights activists often accuse the Pakistani military and its agencies of harassing and attacking journalists.