Pakistan Expands Media Curbs to Local Journalists Working for Foreign Outlets

New Delhi: Pakistan has widened its restrictions on the media by extending new reporting and travel rules to Pakistani journalists, fixers, producers and other local staff employed by international news organisations, drawing sharp criticism from press freedom groups and global media outlets.

Under the revised Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, Pakistani nationals working with foreign media will now be required to register with the government and obtain official permission before travelling outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for reporting assignments. Previously, similar restrictions largely applied only to foreign correspondents.

The move comes days after Pakistan introduced sweeping restrictions on foreign journalists, requiring them to secure No Objection Certificates (NOCs) before reporting outside the country’s three largest cities. Authorities have also ordered several foreign reporters without formal permits to leave Pakistan-administered Kashmir following international coverage of unrest and election-related violence in the region.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information has defended the new guidelines, saying they are intended to streamline and facilitate the work of foreign media operating in the country rather than restrict journalistic activity. Officials have not publicly cited a specific reason for expanding the rules to local media personnel.

However, the measures have sparked widespread backlash from press freedom organisations. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) warned that the regulations would institutionalise state control over reporting, create additional bureaucratic hurdles and encourage self-censorship.

International media organisations, have also voiced concern over the restrictions, urging Islamabad to withdraw the measures and safeguard independent journalism. Human Rights Watch criticised the policy as a serious threat to press freedom.

The expanded guidelines come amid heightened security concerns, protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and ongoing insurgencies in the country’s western provinces. Critics argue the timing suggests an attempt to tighten control over coverage of sensitive regions and developments.

Pakistan ranks 153rd out of 180 countries in the 2026 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, reflecting growing international concern over restrictions on journalists and independent media in the country.