The government has issued new guidelines for foreign media organisations operating in the country, formalising reporting requirements for journalists working for international news outlets outside the country’s three largest cities, a move that has drawn criticism from press freedom advocates and journalist groups.
The document, titled “Guidelines for the Facilitation of the Foreign Media and Their Associates Working in Pakistan”, was circulated to local and foreign media organisations earlier this week.
Journalists’ and rights groups said on Thursday the measures add new bureaucratic hurdles that could discourage independent reporting.
However, the Information Ministry rejected that characterization, saying the guidelines “are not intended to restrict foreign media or curtail press freedom,” but instead provide “a clear, transparent and accountable framework” for the registration, accreditation, and facilitation of foreign media organisations.
Under the rules, Pakistani journalists, freelancers, contributors, stringers, fixers and others professionally associated with foreign media organisations must register with the ministry’s External Publicity Wing and obtain accreditation before undertaking reporting assignments beyond the three cities.
“This is not a blanket restriction on the movement of individuals,” the ministry said.
The ministry’s clarification followed days of controversy after it sent a WhatsApp message to Islamabad-based foreign journalists reminding them that a No-Objection Certificate, or NOC, was mandatory before reporting, filming, or producing content outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
The message also instructed journalists working in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to return immediately, apply for the required clearance and inform the ministry before deploying reporting teams to the disputed region.
The travel clearance requirement has existed for years, but the latest guidelines followed weeks of controversy over foreign media coverage of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Media rights groups condemned the guidelines. The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that rather than facilitating journalism, they “will invariably institutionalise bureaucratic control over news gathering and risk deterring independent reporting on matters of public interest.”
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists on Thursday also said the measures were “an attack on freedom of expression” that would hamper the work of foreign correspondents and Pakistani journalists working for international news organisations.
It urged the government to withdraw the notification, saying the move would further damage Pakistan’s international reputation on press freedom. — AP
