HRCP calls for withdrawal of Pakistan's foreign media rules

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 6 August 2026 |  JP Staff Report

HRCP urged the government to withdraw the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, warning they would create administrative hurdles, institutionalize control over reporting and discourage coverage of matters of public interest.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called on the federal government to withdraw the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, warning that the measures would institutionalize bureaucratic control over journalism and further restrict independent reporting in Pakistan.

In a statement posted on X on August 5, HRCP said the guidelines, rather than facilitating journalism, would create additional administrative barriers to news gathering and discourage reporting on matters of public interest. The rights body described the move as part of what it called a growing pattern of restrictions on media freedom in the country.

HRCP warns of deepening media restrictions

The commission said the space for independent journalism in Pakistan has continued to shrink through arbitrary reporting curbs, increasing censorship, and legal and administrative obstacles affecting journalists and media organizations.

HRCP expressed particular concern over provisions requiring journalists to obtain official approval before reporting from large parts of the country. It said such requirements send "a chilling message" that critical reporting is unwelcome and could deter coverage of issues in the public interest.

The organization urged the government to withdraw the guidelines and fulfill its constitutional and international obligations to protect freedom of expression and media freedom.

Follows growing criticism of new rules

The statement comes after JournalismPakistan reported on the introduction of the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, which establish new procedures governing the work of foreign correspondents and Pakistani journalists employed by international media organizations.

The guidelines have also drawn criticism from journalist representative bodies, including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, which has called for the measures to be withdrawn, arguing that they could further restrict press freedom and limit independent reporting.

HRCP said the latest measures reflect a broader trend of tightening controls on journalism and warned that imposing additional restrictions on reporting risks undermining transparency and public access to information.

ATTRIBUTION: Based on a social media post published by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on X on August 5. Background on the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026 is drawn from JournalismPakistan's earlier reporting, which was based on the reported provisions of the guidelines and publicly available information from Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's External Publicity Wing.