Pakistan restricts foreign media after Kashmir crackdown coverage

Pakistan imposed Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026 barring journalists from reporting outside Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore without government permission. The move followed international coverage of a crackdown in Pakistan-administered Kashmir where dozens of protesters were killed. Al Jazeera's website was restricted after reporting from Muzaffarabad; the BBC was ordered out. Pakistan ranked 153rd of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index.