WASHINGTON:  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly warned that restrictions on freedom of expression harm Pakistan's image and capacity to prosper.

Blinken said the US government was aware of the restrictions put on media outlets and civil society in Pakistan and raised the issue with his Pakistani counterpart during a press briefing at the US State Department on World Press Freedom Day. He was apparently responding to a query from a Pakistani journalist regarding Pakistan's status as one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists.

Many Pakistani journalists were killed kidnapped, and tortured last year for exposing crime and corruption as well as criticising government policy. "Has the State Department ever brought this up in bilateral conversations with Pakistani officials?" the journalist inquired. "The simple answer is yes, we do bring it up in our engagements with Pakistani counterparts." Of course, this is an element of our yearly Human Rights Reports, and we're well aware of major restrictions on media outlets and civil society in Pakistan in general "he said.

Blinken's comments came after a survey by Reporters Without Borders, a global media watchdog, revealed that Pakistan had dropped from 145th place last year to 157th this year on the World Press Freedom Index.

"A thriving free press, an informed populace is vital for every nation and its future, including Pakistan," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the necessity of free media. "...and I believe that the tactics we are seeing are undermining freedom of expression," he said.

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