Scores of journalists associated with regional newspapers in Pakistan's Punjab province took out a demonstration on Tuesday to push the Imran Khan government to meet several of their demands.
The participants, led by Regional Union of Journalists (RUJ) President Shafqat Gilani, conducted a long march and staged a symbolic sit-in at the Assembly building on The Mall, Dawn newspaper reported.
The demands of the journalists included housing schemes, insurance, health care and social security, government funding for all press clubs, and an end to all kinds of censorship on freedom of expression.
France-based International media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (known by its French acronym RSF) said that acts of "brazen censorship" and the military's role influence over the government have "increased dramatically" since Imran Khan came to power.
"After reining in the traditional media, the [military and intelligence services] has set about purging the Internet and social media of content not to its liking," Al Jazeera quoted RSF's statement.
It further stated that Pakistan ranked 145 out of 180 countries in RSF's World Press Freedom Index 2021.
( With inputs from ANI )
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