Tel Aviv, August 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistan’s latest restrictions on foreign journalists have drawn criticism from press freedom organisations, while Western governments have so far largely refrained from issuing a coordinated public response, according to a report published in The Times of Israel.
The report focuses on Pakistan’s Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, which require foreign journalists to obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB) before travelling outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for reporting.
The guidelines also set out procedures covering the registration and accreditation of foreign media organisations operating in Pakistan and a wide range of individuals associated with them, including journalists, media owners, professionals, sources, freelancers, sponsors, fixers and assignees.
According to Italian political adviser, author and geopolitical analyst Sergio Restelli, the measures give Pakistani authorities significant control over where foreign journalists can travel and the events they can independently cover.
Restelli said the timing was particularly significant, as the rules were introduced amid heightened tensions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where protests, political unrest and allegations of heavy-handed security measures have drawn international attention.
He argued that restrictions on independent access could reduce transparency at a time when outside reporting is particularly important.
The report cited concerns raised over the broader media environment in Pakistan by Human Rights Watch, the International Federation of Journalists and the Pakistan Press Foundation. These organisations have documented allegations involving arrests and intimidation of journalists, enforced disappearances, violence, censorship, use of cybercrime laws, pressure through state advertising and increasing self-censorship.
Restelli said the absence of a stronger diplomatic response from the European Union, the US, the UK and Western embassies could encourage governments elsewhere to conclude that restrictions on international journalism would carry limited international consequences.
He also pointed to Pakistan’s low standing in international press freedom assessments and argued that restrictions were increasingly accompanied by economic pressure, surveillance and administrative controls.
The report said the latest foreign media guidelines could further intensify concerns over independent journalism in Pakistan and raise questions about how consistently democratic governments defend press freedom internationally.
The allegations and assessments cited in the report could not be independently verified by Yes Punjab News.
FOLLOW NOW
