HRF condemns Pakistan’s new restrictions on international media and calls on the government to revoke these measures immediately. Journalists must be able to report freely across the country without prior government approval or politically motivated censorship.
Under the new rules, international journalists must obtain government permission to report outside Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. The regulations also allow officials to revoke accreditation for vaguely defined acts against Pakistan’s “ideology,” “security,” or “public order.”
The restrictions followed international reporting on deadly protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Independent reporting is essential for documenting human rights violations and ensuring governments cannot suppress information through censorship or intimidation.
Governments should protect independent journalism, not obstruct it. The international community should continue to monitor press freedom in Pakistan and speak out against efforts to silence independent reporting.
