August 2, 2024
By Bilal Baseer
ISLAMABAD:
British journalist Charles Glass was reportedly deported from Pakistan after authorities denied him access to meet former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.
Charles Glass, a 73-year-old British-American author and journalist, has built a career focusing on the Middle East and World War II. He has previously worked with Newsweek, ABC TV and The Telegraph and now works as a freelancer.
Charles Glass arrived in Islamabad last week to visit the imprisoned Imran Khan. Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail the other day, Glass clarified that he was in Pakistan as a friend of Imran Khan, not in the capacity of a lawyer or activist.
On World Press Freedom Day, May 3, Glass wrote an article calling for the freedom of Julian Assange and Khan, while alleging their imprisonment was a consequence of their defiance of US interests.
Glass further stated to the media that jail authorities did not allow him to meet Imran Khan even though he had obtained the necessary permissions.
Aleema Khanum, the sister of Imran Khan, shared on X a letter from Charles Glass to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. In the letter, Glass complained that he had visited Central Jail Rawalpindi for three consecutive days with signed court orders but was still denied access to see Khan. He requested Naqvi’s assistance in allowing him to visit his friend.
Aleema Khanum has posted a letter from NADRA regarding the cancellation of Charles Glass’s visa by the government of Pakistan. The letter, sent via email, states: “This letter refers to your Visa Application bearing Application Number: 88002566839, which was submitted through Pakistan Online Visa System on 06-May-2024. You applied for the Tourist/visit visa. PLEASE NOTE: The visa issued against your application has been CANCELLED by the Government of Pakistan. You cannot use your CANCELLED visa grant notice for any official or personal purposes. The visa grant notice stands CANCELLED. In case of misuse of the CANCELLED visa grant notice, legal action will be taken against you as per the laws of Pakistan.”
According to reports, on Wednesday, July 31, afternoon, an assistant superintendent of police (ASP) and a team informed Glass of his visa cancellation.
According to senior journalist Zahid Hussain, Charles Glass was at his residence when police arrived on Wednesday. He mentioned that Glass told him his visa, still valid until Monday, had been cancelled.
Thereafter, the ASP directed him to leave the country by 5pm. Glass was then taken to his hotel to collect his belongings, and escorted to a flight to Dubai which departed at 4pm.
The reasons behind Glass’s sudden deportation remain unclear. Attempts to get in touch with the Interior Ministry and the Information Ministry for an official statement were unsuccessful. However, when inquired, an official from the Ministry of Information, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated that Glass did not possess a journalist visa and had been repeatedly visiting the Central Jail.
This was not the first time Pakistan has faced criticism over its treatment of journalists. The country’s history is peppered with incidents where foreign journalists have been expelled, raising concerns about press freedom.
In 2008, Nicholas Schmidle, a journalist for The New York Times Magazine was expelled from Pakistan for interviewing Taliban leaders and visiting Balochistan.
Declan Walsh, former The New York Times bureau chief in Pakistan, was ordered by the Ministry of Interior to leave the country in 2013, a day before the general elections. The police delivered a concise letter to him citing the cancellation of his visa due to “undesirable activities” and demanded his departure within 72 hours.
In 2019, under the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Steven Butler of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) was stopped and detained by Pakistani authorities. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) stopped him at the airport, citing an Interior Ministry “stop list,” as he arrived for the Asma Jahangir Conference.
Veteran journalist and media rights activist Nasir Zaidi said that the Pakistani government has consistently sought to restrict freedom of expression and control the press since 1947. He asserted that these actions have tarnished the country’s reputation.
“The deportation of a journalist from Pakistan has made headlines around the world. If he had remained and reported as usual, it would have been a routine matter with limited news coverage. Instead, the deportation created significant global attention, suggesting that press freedom is restricted and censorship exists in Pakistan,” Zaidi remarked.
He suggested that a democratic government led by elected representatives should refrain from using such oppressive tactics.
Munizae Jahangir, a prominent journalist and co-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, expressed alarm over the attacks on freedom of expression in the country. She asserted that the problem is not limited to any political government while noting the Interior Ministry’s consistent alignment with the establishment.
Jahangir referenced the deportations of journalists like Nicholas Schmidle, Declan Walsh and Steven Butler as evidence of the establishment’s actions when it feels threatened.
“Silencing the press amid a national crisis is a counterproductive measure,” she remarked.
Afzal Butt, President of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), termed the situation as unfortunate and noted that it has negatively affected the country’s image.
Butt urged the government to clarify the reasons behind Charles Glass’s deportation, while pointing out that no official statement has been issued despite global media attention on the expulsion.