Pakistan on Thursdayannounced its implementation of the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026 (the Guidelines), imposing strict regulatory limits on foreign journalists and local nationals working for international media outlets. The six-page document mandates that all international media operations and their personnel register directly with the External Publicity Wing of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
These Guidelines also cover all foreign or international print, electronic and digital media, including social media & web-based platforms. Journalists must also seek approval before travelling to areas outside Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore for officially producing any news content, story, video, film, documentary, or social media content.
The registration stage does not convert into benefits for peers. It is merely an official status, and journalists would have to seek a press accreditation along with the right documents. Press accreditation is of two types: permanent accreditation that is granted annually; and temporary accreditation for visiting journalists, which is valid for three months. With the accreditation card, the journalists will be able to attend the Official Dinner parties.
Rule 7.1 of the Guidelines delineates the reasons for suspension or withdrawal of press accreditation or registration to include acts that are against the ideology, sovereignty, security, or public order of Pakistan. Another sub-clause of Rule 7.1 also holds that press accreditation or registrations may be withdrawn at any stage that the EP Wing deems appropriate.
Interestingly, the Guidelines also state that foreign journalists visiting the northeastern cities of Abbottabad or Murree, which are close to the border with Kashmir, for “leisure purposes” should obtain an NOC as well.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the directives as a direct assault on press freedom, warning that the measures will further degrade the country’s already critically low global media ranking. They further commented on the severity of the domestic turmoil in the country, stating:
“The guidelines amount to attacking the freedom of expression and putting curbs on press freedom.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on the Pakistani authorities to recall these rules. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweeted that Al Jazeera had resorted to selective reporting, terming it as “yellow journalism” that is attempting to “delegitimise the electoral exercise and undermine the popular will of the people”. Presently, the access to Al Jazeera has been restricted.
Various international organizations appealed to the Government, urging Pakistani authorities to end the escalating restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, including press freedom, access to information, and human rights advocacy. The appeal specifically mentions the broader pattern of using vague cybercrime provisions to criminalize protected expression, through case studies of journalist Asad Ali Toor.
The organizations have called for repeal of the Section 26A of Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, that deals with dissemination of false information, release of all the activists, and reform PEMRA.
