Pakistan mandates NOC for foreign journalists and blocks Al Jazeera website

Pakistan has introduced new media regulations that require all foreign journalists and media personnel to obtain a No‑Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting before travelling outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. The rules, issued under the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, also mandate registration of foreign media organisations, freelancers, fixers and local contributors through an online portal. Exemptions apply only to leisure trips to tourist spots such as Abbottabad and Murree, with approvals expected within three working days.

At the same time, users in Pakistan reported that the English‑language website of Al Jazeera became inaccessible shortly after the broadcaster aired reports on protests and election‑related unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK/PoK). The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting publicly accused Al Jazeera of "selective reporting" and "yellow journalism," claiming the coverage focused on hand‑picked polling stations in Muzaffarabad and misrepresented the electoral process. No official ban has been confirmed, but the timing of the website outage has raised concerns about press freedom amid ongoing protests, internet shutdowns and reported casualties in the region.