EU role under scrutiny after Pakistan's restrictions on artists, fresh threats to journalists

Brussels, October 24 (IANS): Pakistan’s restrictions on dance performances of actresses, detention and intimidation of poets and journalists have raised growing concerns over freedom of expression, prompting questions about the European Union’s (EU) response and its preferential trade relationship with Islamabad, a report has stated.It noted that such pressure extends beyond theatres to other spheres of public expression.“Three actresses, Urooj Khan, Nayab Khan and Masooma Malik, have been ordered to provide explanations within 48 hours for dance moves that cultural authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province have described as “obscene”. The Punjab Arts Council has issued notices requesting their responses and warning of possible sanctions. However, no penalty has yet been announced against them. A few weeks earlier, in August, eight other actresses had been banned from performing on theatrical stages across the province for one month, also over performances deemed inappropriate by the authorities,” Greek lawyer, writer and journalist, Dimitra Staikou wrote in European Times.“These decisions do not concern political statements or accusations of blasphemy. They concern the way women dance in front of an audience. In Pakistan, restrictions on artistic expression can begin long before a criminal court becomes involved: with the assessment of a performance and an administrative authority’s decision on who is allowed to appear on stage,” she stated.Staikou highlighted that Pakistani filmmaker and researcher Roshaan Khattak, based in Britain, has reported receiving death threats that he believes are linked to his investigation into human rights violations in Balochistan. His personal account was published by the London-based organisation Index on Censorship on July 21, 2026.According to the report, although these cases differ in their legal and factual circumstances, together they illustrate the pressures faced by those who write, investigate or engage in creative work in the public sphere.It noted that such cases also raise questions about Europe’s role, particularly as the European Commission documented a deterioration in freedom of expression in Pakistan on July 16, 2026, while the country continues to benefit from preferential access to the European market.“The question is not only what happens to artists and creators inside Pakistan, but also what European institutions do when the very mechanisms for protecting rights that they invoke prove inadequate,” it noted.In its assessment of Pakistan, the European Commission also documented a rise in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan between 2023 and 2025, with those responsible continuing to evade accountability.“This finding adds another dimension to allegations involving people working in the cultural sphere: the risks described concern not only the ability to publish a work, but, in some cases, even the personal safety of those who participate in public debate,” the report in European Times mentioned.