Media and Governance in Pakistan: A controversial yet essential relationship

This report is the result of a consultative process with the EC Delegation in Islamabad, which started at the end of November 2009. Following the release, earlier that year, of another IfP report that looked at the complex nature of the relationship between the Pakistani state and its citizens, the role of the media and its position within the country's overall governance system was perceived as one of the most interesting socio-political trends to be followed and further analysed. Against a media landscape that has exponentially grown since the beginning of the new millennium, still many questions exist concerning its independence and professionalism. This report elaborates in depth on the origins of the media in the country, the main reasons for its recent impressive growth and its current relations with the power holders.