Pakistani authorities have imposed new stringent restrictions on independent reporting by international media outlets working in the country and local journalists working for them. The move has drawn strong concern and criticism from domestic and foreign press organizations, editors and legal experts.
Under the rules and regulations issued by the External Publicity Wing of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, titled ‘Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines, 2026’, all journalists, including Pakistani nationals and freelance journalists, working for international news agencies will now be restricted to Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. Journalists will be required to obtain a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) to report from any other area, city or province of the country other than these three major cities.
The rules do not specify how long it will take to issue an NOC, while in practice foreign journalists have to wait months for such permits. These restrictions are likely to severely affect independent coverage of any important and urgent event in remote areas of the country of 240 million people.
Journalist circles have called these measures a deep attack on press freedom.
Zafar Abbas, editor of the English daily Dawn, called the restrictions “ridiculous and unacceptable” and said that he had not seen such strictures in his 40-year journalism career and the eras of two military dictators. According to him, limiting journalists to three cities is against the free movement of journalists and the spirit of journalism.
Politician and analyst Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that these instructions are tantamount to strangling the global media in an increasingly restrictive environment, which will only give room to the spread of fake news and misinformation.
According to Supreme Court lawyer Salahuddin Ahmed, these instructions have no legal or constitutional backing. They are merely administrative orders aimed at imposing undue restrictions on journalism.
On the other hand, the Pakistani government has dismissed these concerns, saying that this is not censorship or a complete ban on media movement, but an “administrative procedure” to improve verification and access.
According to the government, these measures have been taken under the ‘Rules of Business’ of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to regulate administrative relations and that accreditation of journalists can be cancelled in situations affecting national security or public order.
The immediate reason for these new restrictions is apparently the recent political and public tension in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and news of an election boycott. Following the government’s displeasure over reports by Al Jazeera, BBC and other international organizations, the Ministry of Information has directed all international media representatives via WhatsApp to return from Kashmir immediately and apply for NOC.
It should be noted that Pakistan is currently ranked 153rd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, and these new policies are expected to further affect Pakistan’s ranking.
Share this content:
