Pakistan's Media Under Siege: Journalists Face Life Sentences Amid Military Crackdown

• Pakistan's democratic period is bleak, with power shifting to Army Chief Gen Asim Munir, creating a system of fear and coercion.
• Journalists, analysts, and former military officers speaking against the army's dictatorship are now targets, with dissent framed as treason.
• An Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced seven Pakistanis, including seasoned journalists Shaheen Sehbai, Wajahat Saeed Khan, and Sabir Shakir, to life imprisonment for 'digital terrorism' related to May 9, 2023 protests.
• The trials were conducted without the accused's presence or knowledge, highlighting the judicial process's irrelevance and serving as a message to silence free expression.
• Imran Khan remains a central figure, with his enduring popularity and influence posing an 'existential threat' to Gen Munir, leading to severe responses against his sympathizers.

Why It Matters: Pakistan's military, under Gen Munir, is systematically suppressing media freedom and political dissent, targeting journalists and Imran Khan's supporters with severe penalties.