Some days ago, before the second phase of polling in Pakistan Occupied J&K (PoJK) on August 2, Pakistan security forces launched a massive crackdown. This was directed at supporters of Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and at least 40 died in direct firing by the Pakistan Army at protesters.
These protesters, who had gathered outside Rawalakot city, were trying to march to region’s capital Muzaffarabad where the polls were to be held. The carnage left dozens of youth, women and children injured in the firing, besides the deaths. Most Pakistani newspapers blacked out the events and there was nothing in them about the Rawalakot massacre.
It was the Urdu service of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which broke the story regarding killings by the Pakistan Army in Rawalakot. If it had not been for the BBC’s Urdu service correspondent’s contacts in the affected areas, the news about the massacre would perhaps have never reached the world. Of if it did, many days after the killings in cold blood.
The reporting by Al Jazeera was also not to the liking of the Pakistan government, particularly its security establishment headed by Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshall Asim Munir. He has ordered a hardline approach towards any protests in POJK and the executioner of Munir’s plans is Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
The security establishment has now zeroed in on the BBC and another news organisation on its radar is Al Jazeera television channel. Incidentally, Al Jazeera,funded by the Qatar government basically, and based in Doha, is considered a trusted source of news in the Arab and Muslim world and its reporting of goings-on in POJK has riled the security establishment. Pakistan has now taken the easy way out, deciding to ban Al Jazeera for its factual reporting.
It is widely watched by Pakistani community earning their wages through low paid jobs in several West Asian countries. Besides, it is also source of news and analytical commentaries for the large diaspora of Pakistani community, including most Mirpuris, staying in UK for the past several decades. These Mirpuris, whose forefathers were displaced from their homes and hearths due to construction of Mangla dam in Mirpur, migrated to UK around that time.
These Mirpuris have turned against the Pakistani government, mainly due to BBC and Al Jazeera reports about atrocities of the Pakistan Army on their fellow citizens in POJK. It is likely that the third and final round of voting in the Poonch division, where Rawalakot is located, may be more violent than the first and second rounds held on July 27 and August 2.
Alarmed by the reporting by the BBC and Al Jazeera, the Pakistani government has now decided to impose indirect censorship on all foreign news organisations. To restrict the access of Pakistani journalists working for foreign media organisations as also foreign correspondents based in Islambad, Lahore and Karachi.
It has now ordered that all foreign media personnel will require a No Objection certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB). This new rule applies to all media personnel wanting to travel to any city outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for news coverage, according to recently issued guidelines, according to a Dawn report.
The new Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines, 2026, outline requirements for the registration and accreditation of “foreign media houses, organisations 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 foreign media personnel already accredited or registered with the External Publicity (EP) Wing will require a mandatory NOC from the wing for movement to any city except Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. Outside these three cities, anyone wanting to visit to produce “news content, story, video, film, documentary or social media content” for official use will have to apply for permission.
Not only that, in further restrictions imposed on the foreign nationals, including media personnel, even leisure trips to Abbottabad and Murree, have been declared as restricted areas. It will be possible to visit these places only after a NOC has been granted by the EP Wing upon the request of the journalist.
The guidelines apply to all foreign or international print, electronic and digital media, including social media and web-based platforms. According to the new guidelines, all journalists working with international or foreign media outlets must register with the EP Wing.
“All Pakistani journalists residing abroad, contributing to foreign media and seeking registration must submit their application through the EP Wing portal. They should concurrently forward their case through the nearest press attaché, counsellor, minister posted in Pakistan missions, consulates, high commissions, or embassies,” the ministry guidelines have said.
Additionally, all companies, entities, production houses etc. operating in Pakistan to facilitate foreign media “in any capacity” are also required to register with the ministry’s publicity wing. Going a step further, even non-journalists living in Pakistan who render services of any type to foreign media will be covered by the new guidelines.
“Registration shall not confer any official status and only establishes professional recognition,” the notification pointed out. It added that registration would only be considered if supported by a recommendation from the head of the organisation.
After registration, journalists seeking a press accreditation card must submit their request via the portal alongside required documents. There are two types of accreditation: permanent accreditation to be granted on an annual basis, and temporary accreditation for visiting journalists, valid for a maximum of three months.
Upon issuance of the EP Wing’s accreditation card, the wing will “facilitate” the journalists’ access to all official media events and government premises. Journalists will be “bound to produce that card on demand” and the card must be surrendered upon change of category or organisation, or upon the completion of the accreditation tenure.
The notification said that registration cards may be issued within seven working days from the submission of an application, while the accreditation card may take four to six weeks. The ministry may seek additional information and documents if required, it added.
