Journalists and rights bodies on Thursday (August 6, 2026) strongly condemned the latest curbs on freedom of expression imposed by Pakistan after some foreign media outlets reported ongoing protests and polls in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in which several people lost their lives. Under the new SoPs — Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026 — the journalists associated with foreign media will have to seek permission from the federal government for travelling to any city outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for news coverage. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and Amnesty International voiced their concerns over the Shehbaz Sharif government’s action, which they say amounts to attacking media freedom. “Pakistan is already ranked very low among the countries that have the worst record in press freedom. “This is the latest in a growing pattern of restrictions on media freedom in Pakistan.