Srinagar, December 24: Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on a journalist living in exile, with an Islamabad court issuing a fresh arrest warrant against investigative reporter Ahmad Noorani, prompting strong condemnation from Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The global press freedom watchdog has called on Pakistani authorities to immediately drop what it described as spurious charges and end the harassment of both the journalist and his family.
Noorani, the founder of the investigative news website Fact Focus, has been based in the United States since March 2020 but continues to face legal and administrative action in Pakistan. On December 3, an Islamabad court ordered his arrest and declared him a “proclaimed offender” after acting on a referral from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
The charges stem from complaints allegedly filed in July and August 2025 accusing him of “propaganda” against the Pakistani army on social media.
The court claimed that Noorani failed to respond to multiple summonses, a charge the journalist disputes. Speaking to RSF, Noorani said he was unaware of the specifics of the new case and linked the action to a series of reprisals following his March 2025 investigation into Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir. T
he report alleged that several of the general’s close associates were appointed to senior positions despite lacking the required qualifications.
According to RSF, the fallout from that investigation extended beyond the journalist himself. The day after its publication, Noorani’s two brothers were subjected to enforced disappearance for 33 days.
Following their release, they reportedly lost their jobs, had their bank accounts frozen, their passports cancelled and their names placed on travel restriction lists. One of them was prevented from leaving the country on two occasions. Noorani’s mother also faced financial harassment, with her bank accounts repeatedly frozen despite court orders to restore access.
The case has drawn international attention. On December 3, members of the United States Congress wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the imposition of sanctions on Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff for allegedly targeting critics based in the United States, including Noorani.
RSF described the use of the judiciary and cybercrime laws to pursue the journalist as a sign of growing authoritarianism in Pakistan. “Since the publication of his investigation into the army chief’s alleged nepotism, Ahmad Noorani has been subjected to relentless persecution, including reprisals against his family,” said Célia Mercier, Head of RSF’s South Asia Desk.
She termed the case a “blatant example of transnational repression” and urged Pakistani authorities to drop all unfounded charges and end judicial and financial harassment of Noorani’s relatives. RSF also called on US authorities to ensure the journalist’s protection.
Noorani has a long history of facing threats over his reporting. In October 2017, he survived an assassination attempt on the streets of Islamabad. His website Fact Focus, known for exposing corruption involving senior military officials and politicians, has been blocked in Pakistan since 2022.
In December 2022, Noorani was accused by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of tax evasion and leaking confidential documents following his investigation into the rapid accumulation of wealth by former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. More recently, in March 2025, he was again targeted under Pakistan’s controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) for allegedly spreading “fake” information related to a train attack in Balochistan.
RSF said repeated attempts to seek a response from Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior on the ongoing judicial persecution have gone unanswered.
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