Pakistani journalists, who have taken on military dictators and been beaten and jailed in the pursuit of a free press, say they now face a form of censorship that is more subtle but no less chilling, one spearheaded by the security services.
Journalists and press freedom advocates say the military and the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI, are pressuring media outlets to quash critical coverage. The newly elected government is meanwhile slashing its advertising budget, squeezing a key source of revenue for private newspapers and TV stations.
Ghazi Salauddin, a veteran Pakistani journalist who has witnessed successive periods of direct military rule, said today's censorship is the worst it's ever been.
"Today we don't know what will annoy them," he said of the military. "Today we have to do self-censorship and that is the worst kind of censorship, because it is done out of fear."
Journalist Matiullah Jan, labeled "anti-state" by the military for his criticism of the judiciary and army, called the crackdown "a systematic attempt by the military and its intelligence agency to assert control with a facade of a democratically elected government."
"Incitement of hatred is the only area that we interfere."
"We have been facing a media blackout since the very first day," said Mohsin Dawar, a parliamentarian and founding member of the PTM. "The military now is enjoying unquestioned power in the country, and the PTM questioned their power."