A global body dedicated to the protection of journalists called on Pakistani authorities to remove broadcast restrictions that prevent television channels from airing live coverage of armed attacks and other vaguely defined "unpleasant" events, noting that the rules risk placing security-related reporting under the direction of state-controlled information channels.
A directive from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) barring satellite television channels from broadcasting live footage of explosions, gunfire, blasts, and acts of terrorism formed the backdrop for those comments, with stations risking legal action should they fall short of compliance.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) argued that news professionals and media staff should have the freedom to cover unfolding events and ongoing public affairs on their own terms, without exposure to legal action, and in service of the broader public good. The CPJ added that compelling reporters to draw exclusively on information cleared by government and security bodies — rather than gathering it independently — carries the risk of converting what might otherwise be reasonable safety measures into a framework for controlling the flow of official information and suppressing coverage.
Waliullah Rahmani, who serves as the CPJ's representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, called on authorities to lift the broad-ranging restrictions in place, arguing that newsrooms ought to be free to exercise their own editorial judgement without facing the prospect of regulatory consequences.
On 13 October, PEMRA put out a notice restating a broadcast restriction it had first put in place on 20 February 2023, under which holders of satellite TV channel licences — covering news, current affairs, and regional-language services — are directed to keep off air any footage of incidents such as explosions, blasts, gunfire, or terrorist attacks, whether aired live or replayed. The notice further stipulated that only information formally verified by the relevant department or law enforcement body may be transmitted.
Three days before the directive was issued, the federal government had declared a state of emergency and placed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under governor's rule, a period during which political friction and security conditions in the province had been worsening.
Midway through August, a number of press organisations raised objections to the newly enacted Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, describing the rules as an infringement on journalistic independence and a restriction on freedom of expression. Under the framework, all foreign reporters are required to obtain a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting before travelling to any city beyond Islamabad, Lahore, or Karachi for the purpose of news gathering.
Waliullah Rahmani, the CPJ's representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, stated that the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines would give Pakistani authorities additional tools to limit international news coverage, curtail journalists' ability to operate freely beyond the country's three main urban centres, and leave reporters open to administrative penalties — a development he described as another blow to press freedom in a country where journalists, particularly those covering unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, are already operating under considerable restrictions.
