Pakistan: Government restricts international media reporting outside main cities

Pakistan's Ministry of Information now requires international journalists and Pakistani nationals working for foreign media outlets to obtain clearance before reporting outside the cities of Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), condemn the draconian restrictions and call for the guidelines to be reversed to protect media plurality in Pakistan.

Kashmiri students protesting in Karachi on July 31, 2026 after unrest during the first phase of voting for the local legislature in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Credit: Rizwan Tabassum/ AFP

Under the new Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, any journalist employed by a foreign media outlet, including Pakistani freelancers and contributors, is required to register with the government's external media wing and obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) before reporting outside of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. The guidelines do not specify a timeframe for approval, allowing authorities to dictate whether journalists can report freely.

The new restrictions also empower authorities to confiscate journalists' accreditation if their reporting opposes Pakistan's "ideology, sovereignty, security, or public order." Press freedom bodies have criticised this language as vague and open to arbitrary interpretation. The government has said the guidelines are intended to verify foreign media and coordinate reporting requirements, and not to restrict press freedom.

In response to the increased restrictions, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was "deeply concerned" that the guidelines would "institutionalise bureaucratic control over news gathering" and risk deterring independent reporting on matters of public interest.

The guidelines were introduced as protests intensify in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir after the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) was banned from demonstrating in June. In recent weeks, the JAAC's agenda has expanded from cost-of-living to electoral reform, with supporters of the JAAC calling to abolish the 12 assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees who no longer reside in the area. Protesters argue the reserved seats undermine local representation. After reporting on the protests, Pakistani authorities blocked access to Al Jazeera's website, accusing the broadcaster of "yellow journalism."

The IFJ has long monitored Pakistan's systemic censorship of journalists, particularly through amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) in 2025. International outlets, including Deutsche Welle and Voice of America's Urdu service, have previously had their websites blocked or made inaccessible inside the country, with domestic prime-time current affairs programmes also subject to censorship, including Aaj TV abruptly pulling veteran journalist Munizae Jahangir's show Spotlight after an 11-year run.

The PFUJ said: "The PFUJ has always emphasised people's right to the free flow of information. These guidelines will only further limit the public's access to independent reporting, particularly from regions where the state does not want scrutiny. Meanwhile, media unemployment increases with restrictions threatening job stability for local journalists working at international outlets. We urge the authorities to withdraw these guidelines and to facilitate, not obstruct, the work of journalists across the country."

The IFJ said: "Thenew Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines handPakistan's government the power to decide, at will, where journalists may ormay not work based onarbitraryand sweeping groundsand function only to curb independent, critical journalism in the public interest. The government must uphold its commitment to protect press freedom and freedom of expression, and guarantee that all journalists, both domestic and international, can report freely and without fear of reprisal."