Pakistan has unveiled sweeping new rules governing foreign media that require mandatory registration and accreditation for journalists and others working with international news organisations, while also placing new restrictions on where they can report.The move comes days after international outlets covered protests taking place amid elections in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), coverage that drew a sharp response from the government.The local media in Pakistan has blanked out the crackdown, which has led to around 40 deaths. On social media platforms, however, many, including Pakistanis, had criticised the State’s actions in PoK. The new guidelines state, “These guidelines shall be applicable to all foreign or international print, electronic and digital media including social media & web-based platforms.”The Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines, 2026, issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s External Publicity Wing (EP Wing), make registration compulsory not only for foreign correspondents but also for Pakistanis working with foreign media in almost any capacity.The guidelines apply to “foreign media houses, organizations and outlets working in Pakistan and all eligible journalists, media owners, media professionals, sources, freelancers, sponsors, fixers, attached persons, assignees etc., of Pakistan working or contributing for them.”All of these terms are then explained in detail, covering translators, printers, distributers, and even those performing tasks of a “managerial/administrative” nature.“Sources” are explained as “any book, publication, person or organization that discloses information forming the substance/subject of work undertaken by any journalist, reporter or media professional”.Story continues below this ad“Foreign content” means a content that is produced under direct or indirect creative control of foreigners, foreign companies or foreign broadcasters.”Thus, almost any journalistic work on Pakistan undertaken by a foreign media organisation can be impacted by the rules.Journalists’ movement curbedForeign journalists also need the government’s No Objection Certificate for “official assignment especially for the work outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.”Of Pakistan’s four provinces, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the latter two are in the grip of major, violent opposition movements to the Pakistani State. Waiting for an NOC will severely impact coverage of breaking news events or developing stories.Story continues below this adOf the cities foreign journalists are freely allowed in, Lahore is in Punjab, the comparatively prosperous Karachi is in Sindh, and Islamabad is federally administered, though geographically in Punjab.Even for “leisure trips to Abbottabad and Murree”, an NOC is required from the EP Wing, which may be granted “within three working days”. Muree is in Punjab, while Abottabad is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Suspension of accreditation or registrationWhile journalists need the accreditation for almost any work they do in Pakistan, it can be taken away if they are found misusing it, if their documents were forged, or if they are involved in “acts against the ideology, sovereignty, security, or public order of Pakistan.”The guidelines offer no definition of what those terms mean or how such a determination would be made, raising fears of arbitrary application.Context of the guidelinesStory continues below this adPakistan is ranked 153 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index, and curbs on journalism are not new.The timing of the rules has attracted particular attention, coming into force after international media covered the deadly protests amid the ongoing elections in PoK.Pakistani authorities had earlier criticised the BBC and Al Jazeera’s coverage of PoK. On August 4, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting had accused Al Jazeera of “yellow journalism”, which refers to sensationalised and exaggerated reportage.“We have taken note of Al Jazeera’s selective reporting from handpicked polling stations in Muzaffarabad today… Such yellow journalism only confirms the agenda of external actors with vested interests,” it had posted on X. Journalists working for foreign media were also instructed to leave the region and obtain an NOC before returning.Story continues below this adPeople in Pakistan had reported not being able to access Al Jazeera.The guidelines themselves do not mention Kashmir or explain the circumstances in which they were introduced. However, the sequence of events has led media organisations and press freedom advocates to view the rules as part of a broader tightening of oversight over international reporting.The guidelines have led to criticism within Pakistan too. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan posted on X that the guidelines “will invariably institutionalise bureaucratic control over news gathering and risk deterring independent reporting on matters of public interest… The requirement that journalists obtain state approval to report from large parts of the country sends a chilling message: that critical reporting is unwelcome.”The Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists also “fiercely condemned” the notification. In a statement posted on X, it said the new rules would “only bring disrepute to Pakistan” and also “affect the employment of Pakistanis working with international media outlets.”