Pakistan: CFWIJ Condemns Vicious Smear Campaign Against Journalist Javeria Siddique
Location: Pakistan
Date: February 7, 2023
Javeria Siddique, a Pakistani reporter and wife of late journalist Arshad Sharif, has been on the receiving end of a vile and malicious smear campaign. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is alarmed by the consistent abuse against Javeria Siddique. We condemn the pro-government attack on Siddique and her right to media freedom.
On February 7, journalist Javeria Siddique, columnist with Dunya newspaper and Independent Urdu, spoke to CFWIJ about an organized troll campaign against her. Just a few months after the assassination of her late husband Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya on October 23, 2022, a vicious, character assassination campaign was launched against Siddique. Siddique, shared an emotional tweet in response to the vicious campaign against her, saying her husband was killed with a bullet and she will be killed through character assassination.
The pro-government viral smear campaign accuses Siddique of remarriage to ex-governor Imran Ismail. Not only are these accusations based on falsehood, but their intent is also to silence Siddique, keep her voice out of the media and put an end to her seeking justice for her slain husband.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent, democratic, nonpartisan organization committed to supporting human rights in the country, has called the vicious attacks against Siddique "sad and condemnable" and "against the principles of Islam and humanity".
Siddique is a Muslim, and as tradition calls she is doing her late husband's iddat (waiting period). In Islamic cultures, iddat is the period a woman must observe after the death of her husband or after a divorce, during which she may not marry another man. For a woman whose husband has died, the iddat is four lunar months and ten days of mourning.
PTI leader Imran Ismail also condemned the propaganda against Siddique and blamed the PML-N social media cell for this dirty campaign. He said he would take legal action against those behind this malicious campaign.
The accusations against Siddique have been abusive and life-threatening. They have put the journalist's life in grave danger. Although currently, the reporter is working from home, she will soon have to face life in the physical world where encounters with her abusers and pro-government supporters will become inevitable.
Javeria Siddique's late husband Arshad Sharif (22 February 1973 – 23 October 2022) was a Pakistani journalist, writer and television news anchor. Sharif was a strong critic of Pakistan's powerful establishment and its corrupt rulers. Sharif specialized in investigative journalism. During his journalistic career he reported on numerous political events in the country for national and international news organizations.
On March 23, 2019, Sharif was awarded the Pride of Performance by the President of Pakistan Arif Alvi for his contribution to journalism. He was the host of the program Power Play on ARY News. He served on AAJ News as News Director. Prior to joining AAJ, he was leading the news team of Dunya News as Director of News and was the host of the program Kyun.
Sharif was living in exile after he fled the country in August 2022 to avoid arrest in the wake of multiple cases, including sedition charges, slapped against him for making comments on his show deemed offensive to the military. He was chased out of Pakistan and then shot and killed in Kenya on 23 October 2022. No light has been shed into the case of Arshad Sharif's murder.
Journalists frequently experience violence and hate speech online in connection to their work. Women journalists in particular are exposed to misogynist, sexist and sexualized online hatred. Javeria Siddique is another example of such hatred. The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Javeria Siddique. We demand that social media platforms take action against such vicious campaigns. We demand accountability for the perpetrators. Journalism is not a crime.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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