Islamabad, Aug. 6 -- Pakistan's new media regulations barring foreign media reporting outside its three main cities without prior registrations have prompted heavy concern from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the Pakistan Federal union of Journalists (PFUJ), who argue that such moves greatly threaten press freedom and independent journalism in a nation where media freedom is already low.
The criticism follows the government's introduction of the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, which require all foreign media personnel to obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Information Ministry before travelling outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi to produce news reports, documentaries, films, videos or social m...