By Anam Baloch
Free speech isn’t just ink on parchment in Pakistan’s constitution under Article 19, but it is the very essence of democracy in states. With the emergence of the internet, we’ve witnessed a nexus between the ‘online and offline’ and now speech as we see it has also become digital. As users of the internet, we no longer go online; we live in this space. However, restrictions within these spaces now suggest that free speech cannot survive online, and there are impending threats to entire democracies if speech is restricted.
In the constitution of Pakistan, we’ve witnessed in this day and age that Article 19 hasn’t accounted for algorithms and the online ecosystem. Questions that now arise as users of the internet in Pakistan are: are digital spaces in Pakistan a place of diversity and myriad ideas, where people come together, or is it just a minefield of censorship?
The Future of Free Speech (FoFS), an independent, non-partisan think tank located at Vanderbilt University, published their report titled “Who in the World Supports Free Speech?” which is a data-driven exploration of who supports free speech, where, why, and under what conditions; with a focus on trends, divides, and new threats like Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Future of Free Speech Index 2025 report surveyed 33 countries and gave Pakistan an overall score of 57.04 (out of 100). While this remains on the lower end globally, Pakistan made one of the biggest improvements worldwide. Its score increased by 5.5 points since 2021, placing it among the top three most improved nations alongside Indonesia and Malaysia.
The report also revealed a paradox for Pakistan: despite achieving that milestone, it remains one of the worst-ranked nations for actual tolerance of contentious expression. This paradox isn’t new at all, as we have seen time and time again in cases of censorship and crackdown on dissenting voices. In 2025, the PECA Amendments have already been wielded to silence journalists and internet users. Law enforcement agencies arrested prominent reporters like Farhan Mallick and Waheed Murad under vague charges of “false” or “intimidating” content, and over 150 media figures were booked last December for covering protests.
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