Asma Shirazi Says Journalists Must Be Grateful to Survive Amid Growing Pressures

ISLAMABAD:Senior journalist and television anchor Asma Shirazi has said journalists in Pakistan face daily battles for economic survival, mental well-being, professional integrity and, in some cases, their lives.

Speaking at an event titled _“Media Under the Shadow of Death,”_ Shirazi said journalists who remained alive should be grateful for each passing day, describing their work as a daily struggle amid uncertainty and mounting pressures.

“Journalists who are still alive today should be grateful that they are alive. We should offer prayers of gratitude every day that we have made it through another day,” she said.

Shirazi added that she personally prepared herself each day for the possibility that she might not return home safely.

### Journalism Must Stand Against Authoritarianism

Shirazi said Pakistani journalists had learned to write under military dictatorships but had not been adequately prepared to confront fascism and what she described as social fascism.

“Our pens learned to write under martial laws, but they have not learned how to write under fascism and social fascism,” she said, identifying the protection of journalism under such conditions as one of the profession’s biggest challenges.

She said she had accepted this challenge and stressed that journalists must also learn to speak against popular opinion when necessary.

According to Shirazi, journalism should not always seek applause, and reporters must sometimes be willing to face criticism and abuse for expressing their views.

### Raises Questions Over Arshad Sharif’s Killing

Referring to the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif, Shirazi said those responsible for the injustice surrounding his death were believed to be somewhere within the country’s broader circles of power, with some allegedly remaining hidden and others more visible.

Her remarks highlighted the continuing demand for accountability and answers regarding Sharif’s killing.

### Shirazi Says Faisal Vawda Can Be Questioned

Responding to a question, Shirazi described Senator Faisal Vawda as a powerful figure and a national asset, arguing that journalists should at least be able to question him when other influential individuals remain beyond public scrutiny.

She suggested that Vawda served as a means of raising questions about more powerful figures and institutions.

Shirazi said journalists sought answers from the government as well, while noting that the establishment was a separate centre of power.

She also referred to Vawda’s publicly expressed claims of close links with the establishment, saying these connections made him a source of information for journalists.

Drawing a comparison with former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Shirazi said Vawda had emerged as a source of political information for the media, taking on a role previously associated with Rashid.

Her remarks underscored the challenges facing Pakistani journalists as they navigate political sensitivities, questions of accountability and pressure on freedom of expression.