Colombo, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistan’s new Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026 have drawn criticism from journalist and press freedom organisations, which say the measures could make independent reporting more difficult, particularly outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
Under the guidelines issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, foreign media organisations and personnel, as well as Pakistani journalists and other professionals working for foreign media, are required to register and obtain accreditation. Accredited foreign media personnel also need a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the ministry’s External Publicity Wing before travelling to other parts of the country for official reporting assignments.
The rules cover reporting, video, film, documentary and social media content. Pakistan’s official External Publicity Wing says journalist visas are valid for Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, while its registration system covers foreign nationals and Pakistani nationals working for foreign media organisations.
The guidelines were introduced amid controversy over international coverage of unrest and elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the measures were introduced days after Pakistani authorities criticised international reporting on elections and protests in the region and accused Al Jazeera of “yellow journalism”. Access to Al Jazeera’s website was subsequently restricted in Pakistan, according to CPJ.
CPJ has urged Pakistan to withdraw the guidelines. Its Afghanistan and Pakistan representative, Waliullah Rahmani, said the rules could further restrict international media coverage and expose journalists to administrative retaliation.
“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,” Rahmani said.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan have also criticised the restrictions, saying the NOC requirement could hinder independent reporting.
The Pakistan Press Foundation has similarly warned that mandatory registration of journalists working with foreign media could adversely affect press freedom and the country’s information environment.
The criticism has come alongside wider concerns over Pakistan’s media environment. In September, CPJ and eight other press freedom and human rights organisations urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address what they described as a deterioration in press freedom, citing restrictions on reporting, internet and telecommunications blackouts, government interference in news operations and criminal investigations involving journalists.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information, however, has rejected the characterisation of the guidelines as restrictions on press freedom, saying they provide a framework for the registration, accreditation and facilitation of foreign media. The ministry has also said the rules do not constitute a blanket restriction on movement.
The debate over the new rules is therefore likely to remain tied to the broader question of how Pakistan balances regulation of foreign media with independent reporting and access to information.
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