Pakistan Tightens Crack on International Media
In a move that has stunned journalists worldwide, Pakistani authorities announced new rules that require foreign reporters, including local nationals working for foreign outlets, to obtain a special permit—called a No Objection Certificate (NOC)—before travelling outside Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
The guidelines, dubbed the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines, 2026, effectively put foreign journalists under the government's administrative watch even when covering breaking stories in regions such as the disputed Kashmir valley.
The call for NOCs comes amid violent clashes in Pakistan‑administered Kashmir and a media crackdown on coverage that opponents say is politically sensitive. The government claims the rules are meant to “verify media and coordinate reporting requirements.” Critics, however, say they amount to a silencing of independent international press.
Journalists such as Zaffar Abbas of Dawn and other major outlets have condemned the new restrictions as “ridiculous” and “unacceptable”, warning that it could stifle press freedom and fuel misinformation in a country that ranks 153 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index.
The lack of a statutory basis for the guidelines has also been pointed out by the Supreme Court’s Salhuddin Ahmed, who notes that executive orders alone cannot enforce a legal obligation on media entities.
A coalition of international reporters is gathering a meeting with the Information Minister to raise their concerns, while the government insists its aim is just to maintain internal relations with foreign media.
The new measures also state that journalists can lose accreditation for “acts against ideology, sovereignty, security or public order”. How such vague criteria will be applied remains uncertain, prompting worry over potentially arbitrary censorship.
Time will tell whether these guidelines will be a temporary administrative step or part of a larger effort to tighten control over media coverage in Pakistan.
