Now Reading: Pakistan Requires Permission for Foreign Media Outside Three Cities
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Pakistan Requires Permission for Foreign Media Outside Three Cities
Pakistan Requires Permission for Foreign Media Outside Three Cities
Pakistan has introduced rules requiring foreign journalists to obtain an Information Ministry no-objection certificate before travelling outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for news coverage, The Hindu reports. The Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines…
The Story in Brief
Pakistan has introduced rules requiring foreign journalists to obtain an Information Ministry no-objection certificate before travelling outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for news coverage, The Hindu reports. The Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026 cover news stories, videos, films, documentaries and social media content. The rules also require organisations supporting foreign media and non-journalists working with them to register with the ministry’s External Publicity Wing.
The guidelines allow press registrations to be suspended or withdrawn for actions deemed against Pakistan’s ideology, sovereignty, security or public order. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Amnesty International condemned the measures. They called for their withdrawal, saying the restrictions could obstruct independent reporting and access to information.
The Indian Opinion
The easy narrative is that every new Pakistani media rule proves censorship, while the government could present approval procedures as routine security controls. Neither view answers the practical issue. Requiring permission to report across most of the country, with registrations vulnerable to official withdrawal, gives authorities wide discretion over critical coverage. The test is whether applications are approved promptly and consistently, including for reporting on protests and elections, or whether access depends on the subject journalists choose.
Sources (2): ndtv.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
