Pakistan restricts international media reporting

What the report says

Pakistani authorities have introduced new rules that require people working for foreign media, including Pakistani nationals, to get official permission before reporting from anywhere outside Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. The BBC reported that the measures, called the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines, 2026, would leave most travel and on-the-ground reporting for international outlets dependent on approval from the government. The changes affect foreign journalists as well as contributors and freelancers living outside the three cities.

The government said the guidelines are meant to create an administrative system to verify media, improve access and coordinate reporting. Critics quoted by the BBC said the rules would make independent coverage harder and could deepen limits on press freedom in a country that already ranks low on the World Press Freedom Index. The article also noted that foreign journalists in Pakistan already need No Objection Certificates, a process that can take a long time or produce no response.

The restrictions appear to be especially significant for reporting from Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where violent clashes and protests have drawn close official scrutiny. The BBC said authorities instructed foreign media staff there to leave immediately and apply for permission, following recent coverage by several international outlets. Journalist groups and media figures have condemned the move, while legal experts quoted in the report questioned whether the guidelines have a proper statutory basis.