Colombo, Sep 24 (IANS) : The latest restrictions imposed on foreign media by the Pakistani government showcase its effort to counter negative coverage with measures that make independent reporting more difficult, a report has detailed.
Foreign media organisations and people working with them need to register and obtain accreditation, according to the Pakistan government’s new Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026. Journalists working for international media organisations also need to get government clearance before travelling outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for reporting assignments. Pakistani journalists, contributors, freelancers and other personnel also need to follow these rules, according to a report in Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror.
It mentioned that foreign media outlets and personnel linked with them need to undergo registration and accreditation. Foreign nationals and Pakistani nationals working for foreign media organisations come under the official system. Foreign journalists already registered or accredited with the ministry’s External Publicity Wing need to obtain a ‘No-Objection Certificate’ before travelling to other parts of Pakistan to produce news stories, videos, documentaries, films or social media content.
Pakistani authorities announced the latest guidelines after international media organisations reported on unrest and elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) while authorities accused media outlets of presenting misleading accounts.
“Pakistan’s latest media clampdown has created an image problem of its own making: the harder independent scrutiny becomes, the more attention the restrictions themselves attract,” the report stated.
Media bodies have criticised Pakistan’s newly implemented Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, terming it a “direct assault on press freedom” and saying it amounts to “attacking the freedom of expression.”
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) said that the guidelines implemented by the Pakistan government are a direct assault on press freedom and warned that the measures will further reduce Pakistan’s already low global media ranking. “The guidelines amount to attacking the freedom of expression and putting curbs on press freedom,” it said, Jurist News reported.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the Pakistan government to recall these guidelines. Criticising the measures, Waliullah Rahmani, CPJ Afghanistan and Pakistan Representative, said: “The Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines open the door for Pakistani authorities to further restrict international media coverage, prevent journalists from reporting freely outside Pakistan’s three main cities, and risk exposing them to administrative retaliation.”
He said that these guidelines mark yet another “appalling blow to press freedom in Pakistan, where journalists are already facing an intense crackdown”, particularly those reporting on unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
According to CPJ, the newly issued guidelines were introduced days after the Pakistani government criticised international reporting on elections and protests in PoK and accused international media outlet Al Jazeera of engaging in “yellow journalism,” a term for sensational reporting. Subsequently, access to Al Jazeera’s website has been restricted in Pakistan.
Various international organisations urged the Pakistan government to end the escalating restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, including press freedom, access to information, and human rights advocacy. The organisations have demanded repeal of Section 26A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025.
