New York, August 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Pakistani authorities to withdraw draconian
new guidelines
requiring journalists working for international media outlets to
obtain authorization
before reporting outside Islamabad, Karachi, or Lahore, in a move likely to censor coverage of unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The guidelines, reviewed by CPJ, require international and Pakistani journalists who contribute to foreign media organizations, including social media and web-based platforms, to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the information ministry for “official assignments, especially for work outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.”
“The Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines open the door for Pakistani authorities to further restrict international media coverage, prevent journalists from reporting freely outside Pakistan’s three main cities, and risk exposing them to administrative retaliation,” said CPJ Afghanistan and Pakistan Representative Waliullah Rahmani. “These guidelines mark yet another appalling blow to press freedom in Pakistan, where journalists are already facing an intense crackdown, particularly those reporting on unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.”
The five-page guidelines were introduced days after the government criticized international reporting on elections and protests in Kashmir and accused Al Jazeera of engaging in “
yellow journalism
,” a term for sensational reporting.
Access
to Al Jazeera’s website has been
restricted
.
Authorities can suspend or revoke journalists’ accreditation or media outlets’ for “acts against the ideology, sovereignty, security or public order of Pakistan,” the guidelines say.
Authorities have
banned coverage
of protests demanding electoral reform in Kashmir, after international outlets reported on
police brutality
during clashes with demonstrators, and
suspended
mobile and internet services.
International
media
say that at least 40 peopl
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