I have witnessed many dangerous episodes working as a journalist in Pakistan, but I have never seen journalists more committed than they are in this era. Pakistan was declared the world’s most dangerous country for media work last year, and journalists there are confronted with serious challenges.

I would say most of it goes to former President General, Pervez Musharraf, who took power during the 1999 military coup. He introduced the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Ordinance in 2002, putting new restrictions on the media. These restrictions caused many of my fellow journalists to either give up their profession, or to leave their jobs and go into exile. The number of journalists escaping from Pakistan has been alarming.