Why regime change won't save free speech in Pakistan

There is a silence smothering the landscape of Pakistan and it is a silence borne from fear. The state grows more authoritarian each day, its mistrust for the voice of its people multiplying. The views of the masses, the printing presses, the online spaces, are met with charge sheets and FIRs. Silence has become the only guarantee of safety from the wrath of a system bent on gagging criticism. As the EU GSP+ assessment for Pakistan puts it: “limitations to the freedom of expression and access to information remain serious and persistent.” It is tempting to label this problem as regime specific. After all, the coalition government demonstrates open contempt for dissent: the Law Minister…