巴基斯坦当局发布了《2026年外国媒体便利指南》，要求国际媒体工作者在伊斯兰堡、卡拉奇和拉合尔三座城市之外进行报道时必须获得无异议证书（NOC）[1]。这一政策立即招致国际记者组织和媒体界的强烈批评，被指对新闻自由构成过度限制。
新规定赋予巴基斯坦当局广泛的裁量权——记者因"针对巴基斯坦意识形态、主权、安全或公共秩序的行为"可被撤销资格认证[1]。许可证的批准时间范围并未明确规定，申请者可能需要等待数月甚至永久得不到答复[1]。政治评论员穆斯塔法·纳瓦兹·乔卡尔指出："这些指南相当于扼杀国际媒体在日益缩小的空间中的活动"[1]。资深新闻工作者、《曙光报》编辑扎法尔·阿巴斯表示，他在该国从事记者工作40多年，经历过多届统治者，"但从未见过如此限制措施的实施"[1]。
巴基斯坦在世界新闻自由指数中排名第153位（共180个国家）[1]。美国有线电视新闻网网站因一份报道被指为"黄色新闻"而在巴基斯坦遭屏蔽[1]，而克什米尔地区两个月的暴力冲突造成数十人伤亡，当局对该地区的报道尤为敏感[1]。
Pakistan's authorities have issued the 2026 Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines, requiring international journalists to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) before reporting outside the three major cities of Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore [1]. The new policy permits authorities to revoke press accreditation for reporting deemed to target "Pakistan's ideology, sovereignty, security, or public order" [1], with approval timelines remaining unspecified, potentially leaving applicants waiting months or indefinitely for a response [1].
The restrictions have drawn sharp criticism from media organizations and international press freedom advocates. Pakistan ranks 153rd among 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index [1]. Political commentator Mustafa Nawaz Choudhary stated that "these guidelines effectively strangulate the activities of international media in an already shrinking space" [1], while Zafar Abbas, editor of Dawn newspaper, remarked: "In over 40 years of journalism in this country, having lived through two military rulers and multiple autocratic civilian governments, I have never witnessed such restrictive measures being implemented" [1]. The guidelines appear particularly aimed at Kashmir coverage; the region experienced two months of violent conflict resulting in dozens of casualties, making authorities especially sensitive to international reporting from the area [1]. Additionally, Al Jazeera's website has been rendered inaccessible in Pakistan following a report labeled as "yellow journalism" [1].