Pakistan tightens grip on foreign journalists — NOC now required to travel outside three cities for any news coverage

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information has issued Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, requiring foreign journalists to obtain government NOC before travelling beyond Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for any coverage.

By Imran Malik | Media & Press Freedom Desk | MediaBites.com.pk

Pakistan has introduced sweeping new restrictions on foreign journalists — and the implications for press freedom are serious.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, under which all foreign media personnel must obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the ministry’s External Publicity Wing before traveling to any city beyond Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi for news coverage.

The restriction covers every form of journalism — news reports, videos, films, documentaries, and social media content.

What the New Rules Actually Mean

The scope of the new guidelines is broad and their practical implications are significant.

All foreign and international media operating in print, electronic, digital, and social media formats are covered. Journalists working for international outlets must register through a designated online portal. Pakistani journalists based abroad who contribute to foreign media must simultaneously route their registration through the nearest Pakistani diplomatic mission.

Even companies, production houses, and non-journalists who provide any services to foreign media in Pakistan must register with the External Publicity Wing.

The ministry clarified that registration does not grant official status — it only establishes professional recognition. Applications will only be processed if backed by a recommendation from the head of the relevant organisation.

Processing Times — And What They Really Mean

Registration cards may be issued within seven working days. Accreditation cards could take four to six weeks. For leisure travel to Abbottabad or Murree, a journalist may request a NOC with a three-day processing window.

In practice, this means any story the government prefers not to have covered from a sensitive region — AJK, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, or any area experiencing unrest — can be effectively delayed or blocked simply by slowing the NOC process.

The Press Freedom Question

Pakistan already ranked 158th on Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 Press Freedom Index. These new guidelines, which place government gatekeeping between foreign journalists and their ability to cover the country’s most sensitive regions, will not improve that ranking.

The guidelines arrive weeks after Pakistan blocked Al Jazeera’s website over its AJK election coverage and took action against multiple YouTube channels critical of state institutions — completing a pattern of tightening media controls that international press freedom organisations will scrutinise closely.

Foreign journalists covering conflict, elections, or governance failures in Pakistan’s peripheral regions now need government permission first.

That is not facilitation. That is control.