ISLAMABAD: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) this week asked the Pakistani government to disown a major online smear campaign against the Urdu-language services of two British media outlets, the BBC and The Independent newspaper, and to prosecute those who have threatened their journalists.
Thousands of Pakistani Internet users have called for boycotts of the two services and threatened the outlets’ journalists in the course of a two-week-old hate and defamation campaign.
“These online hate campaigns ... not only threaten press freedom but are also extremely dangerous for the journalists who are the targets of the death threats,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.
“Calling for journalists to be murdered, with the aim of intimidating and silencing anyone critical of the authorities, is completely unacceptable. We urge the federal government to disown such calls, and we ask the prosecutor’s office to initiate proceedings against all those responsible for these threats.”
The Pakistani military and government have repeatedly denied they are behind online hate campaigns, or that they suppress the media.
Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 180 countries on RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
A video posted on January 2 on Siasat.pk, a news and discussion site that supports Pakistan’s ruling party and armed forces, attacked the “personal opinions and political inclinations” of BBC Urdu’s journalists and accused the BBC of pursuing an editorial policy that is “against the army and the government.”
The surnames, first names, jobs and Twitter account details of ten BBC Urdu journalists were posted online at the same time as the video. Analysis of the comments indicates that the campaign was being orchestrated in reprisal for several editorials and op-ed pieces regarded as overly critical of the authorities.
Threats were also made against Pakistani journalists working for The Independent in late December after its Urdu website posted a story about the deaths of four Pakistani soldiers in a helicopter crash. They were criticized for not referring to the dead soldiers as “martyrs” – the term that the Pakistani armed forces try to impose in such cases, RSF said.
Thousands of Internet users subsequently called for the site to be banned using the #BoycottIndyUrdu hashtag.
RSF urges Pakistan government to disown online abuse against BBC, Independent journalists
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RSF urges Pakistan government to disown online abuse against BBC, Independent journalists
- RSF releases statement over smear campaign against Urdu services of the two British media outlets, asks government to prosecute culprits
- Thousands of Internet users have called for boycotts of the services and threatened their journalists in a two-week-old campaign
Fitch affirms Pakistan’s ‘B-’ rating, flags debt risks
- Rating agency assigns ‘RR4’ recovery score under new criteria
- Future rating moves tied to debt reduction and reserve recovery
ISLAMABAD: Fitch Ratings on Wednesday affirmed Pakistan’s long-term sovereign debt rating at “B-,” keeping the country in high-risk territory but signaling no immediate default threat, and assigned a “RR4” recovery rating, a measure of how much investors might recover if the country were to default, following a review under its updated sovereign rating criteria.
Fitch is one of the world’s three major credit rating agencies and its sovereign ratings are closely watched by investors because they affect a country’s access to international capital markets and the cost of borrowing.
Pakistan’s rating was last upgraded in April 2025 to “B-” from “CCC+,” reflecting improved macroeconomic stability after a period of severe financial stress.
“Fitch Ratings has affirmed Pakistan’s long-term debt ratings at ‘B-’ and assigned a Recovery Rating of ‘RR4,’” the agency said in a statement.
It said the action reflects the application of its new Sovereign Rating Criteria, effective September 2025, and the inclusion of recovery assumptions in sovereign debt ratings for the first time.
A “B-” rating means the country remains vulnerable to economic shocks but is currently meeting its debt obligations. The “RR4” recovery rating suggests “average recovery prospects” for holders of Pakistan’s bonds and sukuk if the country were to default.
The agency warned Pakistan’s rating could be downgraded if public debt and debt-servicing costs fail to remain on “a firm downward path,” or if external liquidity weakens.
On the positive side, it said an upgrade could be supported by “significant declines in government debt and debt-servicing burdens,” structural improvements in tax revenue collection, and a “sustained recovery in foreign-currency reserves” beyond current forecasts.
Pakistan is implementing structural economic reforms under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program agreed after prolonged political and economic turmoil.
While the country has faced high inflation, currency pressure and weak growth in recent years, authorities say tighter fiscal policy and external support have helped improve key macroeconomic indicators.
