Pakistan's government has introduced new rules requiring foreign media organisations, including Pakistani nationals working for them, to obtain official permission before reporting outside the cities of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. Journalist groups and press freedom advocates have condemned the move as a severe curb on independent reporting, warning it gives authorities discretion over when and where international outlets can cover stories in a country that already ranks 153rd out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index.

The rules, called the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026 and issued on Sunday, require a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for any reporting trip beyond the three named cities, with no stated timeframe for approval; NOCs have previously taken months or gone unanswered. Critics, including Dawn editor Zaffar Abbas and lawyer Salhuddin Ahmed, argue the guidelines lack legal backing and threaten press freedom and freedom of movement, while the government insists they merely provide an administrative mechanism and are not a blanket restriction. The guidelines also allow accreditation to be revoked for vaguely defined "acts against ideology, sovereignty, security or public order," raising further concern among commentators.