Abstract
This research paper analyzes the status of democracy and media freedom in Pakistan as per the perception of top
political leaders and journalists. The Libertarian Theory and Democratic Participant Theory guide this research. Data
has been collected through intensive interviews of notable politicians of Pakistan belonging to three major political
parties and senior journalists respectively. Data was analyzed by using the technique of thematic analysis. The study
results reveal that a majority of the journalists believe that media freedom has been compromised and controlled
during regime of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf. Some reporting areas have been declared as no go areas for national and
private televisions. Journalists as well as politicians believed that democracy has been weakened in the country as
compared to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party led government. They believed that media
and democracy has strong relationship and that democracy is not flourishing during the current regime. The study finds
that with more control on media and massive use of the anti-graft body against politicians and journalists there is a
kind of ‘return of the hybrid democracy’ with involvement and influence of the non democratic forces in the major
decisions.
Muhammad Jawed Aslam, Muhammad Shabbir Sarwar, Usman Ahmad Bhatti, Sadia Shakoor. (2021) Status of Media Freedom and Democracy in Pakistan: Perception of Journalists and Politicians, Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, Volume-58, issue 3.
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