Pakistan Tightens Rules on Foreign Media Reporting
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has introduced new rules requiring international media organisations and journalists to register with the government and obtain permission before reporting outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
The guidelines, issued by the information ministry on August 3, also apply to freelance reporters and Pakistani nationals working for foreign media. Journalists must register with the ministry’s external media wing, while organisations must obtain a Non-Objection Certificate, or NOC, before covering stories in other parts of the country.
The rules do not clearly explain how long approvals will take or what penalties journalists could face for failing to comply. Media workers say NOCs can already take weeks, making it difficult to reach the scene of urgent events while the news is still unfolding.
Rights groups and journalists’ organisations have urged the government to withdraw the requirements. They warn that the new system could place large parts of the country beyond the reach of independent reporting, even though major security, environmental and human rights stories often emerge far from the three largest cities.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the policy would create “bureaucratic control over news gathering” and discourage journalism on issues of public interest. It described the move as part of a wider pattern of restrictions, warning that the space for independent journalism continues to shrink.
The government has said the guidelines are intended to create an administrative system for verifying journalists, coordinating reporting and facilitating access—not to block media work. However, Pakistan’s press freedom record has intensified concerns. The country is ranked 153rd out of 180 nations in the Reporters Without Borders index.
The new rules come after protests and a local election in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Rights groups have accused authorities of restricting coverage of deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for restored access to information and independent reporting.
Pakistan’s information ministry also criticised Al Jazeera’s coverage of the Kashmir polls, accusing the broadcaster of “yellow journalism” and selective reporting. The broadcaster rejected the accusation, while the wider dispute has raised fresh questions about whether government controls are narrowing the public’s view of events.
