Deporting non Pak journalists

[roadrunner]

Here is some logic i don't follow. Why is CPJ complaining about NYT journalists being deported when they've been going to "sensitive" areas off limits to them? Aren't law breakers punished in every country?

Pakistan expels US academic

REASONS: Explaining the rationale behind the deportation order against Nicholas Schmidle, Pakistani authorities said that he had traveled to certain 'sensitive areas'

AP, ISLAMABAD
Monday, Jan 14, 2008, Page 5
Pakistan expelled an American academic who wrote about the rise of pro-Taliban militants in New York Times Magazine, a media rights group said.

A statement issued by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the Pakistani Interior Ministry issued a deportation order to Nicholas Schmidle on Tuesday -- less than a week after his report, "Next-Gen Taliban," appeared in the magazine.

"CPJ is unfortunately accustomed to reporting on the government's attacks on the local media, but now harassment seems to be spreading to foreign journalists as well," CPJ executive director Joel Simon said.

Schmidle's article, published on Jan. 6, was based on interviews with clerics and fugitive militant leaders on the run or fighting security forces in the valley of Swat and in tribal areas along the Afghan border.

To write it, he "secretly traveled" to militant strongholds, prompting authorities to expel him, a security official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Schmidle was a visiting scholar at Pakistan's state-run Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad and occasionally wrote media articles.

An official at the press information department said Schmidle was not in the country on a journalist visa.

The official, who also declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to media, said the Information Ministry served a deportation order on Schmidle because he had traveled to "sensitive areas" -- but then withdrew it. He did not say why. Schmidle then left Pakistan on his own accord, he said.

Journalists must seek permission from the Interior Ministry before traveling to volatile northwest Pakistan.

Speaking from London on Friday, Schmidle told the CPJ he was "extremely disappointed at being asked to leave Pakistan" and that his visa contained "no restrictions whatsoever," the statement said.

The magazine's editor, Scott Malcomson, told CJP that authorities did not explain to Schmidle why he was being deported, but he said the move was clearly connected to his writing.

Islamic militants, meanwhile, attempted to attack a Pakistani military base close to the Afghan border, sparking fighting that killed between 40 and 50 of the insurgents, the army said yesterday.

The clashes were some of the bloodiest in weeks in the lawless region -- a militant stronghold where several top al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, including Osama bin Laden, are thought be hiding.

Up to 300 militants staged the attack in Lhada on Wednesday and early on Thursday, but were repelled by artillery and small-arms fire, the army said in a statement.

"Intelligence resources revealed the killing of [between] 40 and 50 militants," it said.

On Saturday, security forces arrested 59 insurgents after they attacked police with rockets, the statement said.

The border region emerged as a front line in the war on terror after Pakistan allied itself with the US following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Washington has given Pakistan billions of dollars in aid to help government forces battle militants.
Taipei Times - archives

 

[mujahideen]

All the Western journalists claim that they are representing freedom of speech. But I have one question for them. Since when is freedom of speech exercised by writing false and and made up stories? What these journalists are doing is "yellow journalism."

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

All the Western journalists claim that they are representing freedom of speech. But I have one question for them. Since when is freedom of speech exercised by writing false and and made up stories? What these journalists are doing is "yellow journalism."

Your opinion against theirs.

If the journalists go to areas that they are not supposed to go, provided there is a notification/ ordinance or law, then they should be prosecuted.

Deporting indicates that there are reasons why these journalists are not thrown the rule book.

 

[mujahideen]

Your opinion against theirs.

If the journalists go to areas that they are not supposed to go, provided there is a notification/ ordinance or law, then they should be prosecuted.

Deporting indicates that there are reasons why these journalists are not thrown the rule book.

What matters is they violated their term. Now if we jailed them it would start a foreign controversy. So instead we deported them.

 

[Spring Onion]

What matters is they violated their term. Now if we jailed them it would start a foreign controversy. So instead we deported them.

Yeh rightly said.

Its another matter that they jail people even without charge but when it comes to countries like ours even legal action sent tremours down their spine and you see evey monkey come up with human rights.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Paranoia.

Let anyone do whatever one wants to do.

Pakistan is a sovereign country and it can do what it thinks best.

Are you suggesting that Pakistan requires someone's OK before it can act in sovereign interests?

Odd that you folks don't have faith your government's capability and instead find rather odd reasons to explain issues that are grave importance to Pakistan.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

NYT man was no journalist, says ISSI​

Sunday, January 20, 2008
By By Muhammed Saleh Zaafir

ISLAMABAD: The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) has jumped in the dispute involving the deported New York Times writer Nicholas Schmidle, saying he had been a researcher with the institute for two years and had no journalistic credentials.

The ISSI clarified that Schmidle had originally approached the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in January 2006. He said at that point of time he had been awarded a fellowship from the Crane-Rogers Foundation to be a Phillips Talbot Fellow with the Institute of Current World Affairs after finishing his MA degree at a university in Washington.

A press release contented that he wanted to continue his studies for two years in Pakistan researching the historical emergence of Pakistan's national identity.

The ICWA in Washington DC is an academic organization with no journalistic affiliations.

The Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad was approached in January 2006 by the HEC asking if the ISSI would host him. As is the tradition at the ISSI, foreign scholars and researchers are always welcome, and so it was in the case of Schmidle.

Upon communication with him, it became evident that he wanted his wife to accompany him, without mentioning that she too would later be taking up degree courses at the International Islamic University, when he requested assistance in terms of proceeding for his visa.

According to the ISSI, the entire correspondence regarding his visa with the departments concerned including Pakistan's embassy in Washington has been made public.

Schmidle was provided office space; he was also provided with visiting cards with the ISSI monogram stating that he was ISSI Visiting Research Fellow. The institute is firm on its position and its press release said at no point in time was permission sought by Schmidle to visit various parts of Pakistan. Occasionally he informed the DG of his visits. Although, he was requested to present his findings in various seminars and in-house meetings at the ISSI, he did it only once over the two years.

The ISSI claimed that on his request for an extension of his stay at the ISSI that was coming to an end on January 25, 2008, he was informed that the ISSI has already committed to host a number of other foreign scholars from Italy, Myanmar and China, and therefore he could not be accommodated beyond January 25, 2008.

The DG ISSI, in a letter in which it was also stated that, as per normal routine, the Interior Ministry would be sent a copy of the letter, informed Schmidle of this. Informing these ministries was necessitated because the granting and extension of his visa were contingent upon his being hosted as a research fellow by the ISSI. Subsequently, Schmidle informed the Director General about the visits to his home by the police on January 9, 2008 while he was on his way to India for a conference. Schmidle managed to get rid of them through his connection with Tariq Aziz, the press release said.

The ISSI is not aware of what happened between January 9-11, and only found out about his deportation after he had left.

The ISSI said "since all journalists, even those critical of Pakistan have managed to come to the country, the question is why Schmidle chose to present himself as a researcher, rather than a journalist? From the foregoing, it is clear Schmidle came to Pakistan as a researcher rather than a journalist. Why was this cover necessary, especially since it will make it more difficult for the ISSI to host American scholars in the future?

ìThe ISSI feels its open-door policy for researchers and its hospitality was badly abused by Schmidle."

The ISSI has appealed that while political proclivities may differ, we at the ISSI do request the journalist community and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to at least keep the facts clear about the case.
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=6

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Some questions that this new information brings up -

1. If Schmidle was actually a journalist and lied about being a "scholar", the GoP was quite within its limits to deport him for entering the country under the pretext of pursuing a fellowship. Not every country can be like Denmark, or the AEI, and offer honors to individuals who make up fairy tales to enter the country.

2. If Schmidle was not a journalist, and actually a scholar, then this isn't about muzzling the press at all is it? And the CPJ should shut its trap, since it has no business getting involved here.

 

[Spring Onion]

Some questions that this new information brings up -

1. If Schmidle was actually a journalist and lied about being a "scholar", the GoP was quite within its limits to deport him for entering the country under the pretext of pursuing a fellowship. Not every country can be like Denmark, or the AEI, and offer honors to individuals who make up fairy tales to enter the country.

2. If Schmidle was not a journalist, and actually a scholar, then this isn't about muzzling the press at all is it? And the CPJ should shut its trap, since it has no business getting involved here.

well said Agno but

as long as some These kinds of fake journalists (btw Nytimes has already lost credibility just read the fake write Sir Salim had posted in another thread from NYTIMES) have some idiots and moroons who every time jump up protectinng so-called freedom of press, we have to have such baby crying in future too.

Now after you posted the reality of that so-called journalist i do not see anyone who were supporting this man, would come up and say they were wrong.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Jana,

The issue is to know the "other side of the story".

That is why I posted it. Who is fake is a matter of conjecture and is upto the one who reads and decide.

All journalists are fake. They have to kowtow to the agenda of the owner and fudge facts or cloak facts to suit that agenda!

 

[Spring Onion]

Jana,

The issue is to know the "other side of the story".

That is why I posted it. Who is fake is a matter of conjecture and is upto the one who reads and decide.

Sir i can not read your mind so i cant say what was in your mind when you posted that wether it was to know the other side of the story or to just post something to show Pakistan in bad taste.

BTW I was not objecting to your posting that news here in this tread but to question the credibility of NYtimes.

All journalists are fake. They have to kowtow to the agenda of the owner and fudge facts or cloak facts to suit that agenda!

So next time im not gonna see you posting anything from any newspape in defence of your point of view.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Jana,

Please get the Webmaster's word that I will not be banned and I will post articles that show Pakistan in real bad light.

You are like Macbeth. You are haunted by Banco's ghost!

You imagine faults when none is intended.

A paranoid mind does not promote good interaction.

Just grow up!

From the conservative US point of view, they hate NYT, but then from the Asian point of view, it is better than the radical right wing one of the US.

I will post links and leave it to your intelligence to decide if they are fake or otherwise.

Please quit this pissing contest. Just for record, you are starting it. I would not like to be blamed!

 

[Spring Onion]

Jana,

Please get the Webmaster's word that I will not be banned and I will post articles that show Pakistan in real bad light.!

Awww So webmaster has promised you that you will not be banned
Webbbyyyyyyyyyyy

Sir calm down neither i am ever gonna report for banning you nor anyone of us i guess want that

You are like Macbeth. You are haunted by Banco's ghost!!

No im the ghost but shhhhhhhh dont tell anyone.

I will post links and leave it to your intelligence to decide if they are fake or otherwise.

Sir its you who always say that never leave open ends and its you who always say that leaving open ends for readers to decide is tactic to secure an exit isnt it ?
Plus its you who always say that all Journlists are fake. So

Please quit this pissing contest. Just for record, you are starting it. I would not like to be blamed!

Sir pissing is also not a civilized word so how can you expect this little admiror of yours to have any such contest with you.

BTW your anger made my day

now im always learning something by every time annoying you.

im thinking i should visit India soon

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I think it is our responsibility as Pakistani members of this forum to rebut assertions made in articles that show Pakistan in a poor light.

I don't think much should be made of why Indian members are posting those links, they would of course, not being Pakistani, think that what was presented was accurate, or sense that something was amiss and want to see Pakistani opinion on it. And we should politely point out what, in our opinions, is correct and what isn't.

Judging motives is almost impossible, so lets not even try.

 

[Spring Onion]

I think it is our responsibility as Pakistani members of this forum to rebut assertions made in articles that show Pakistan in a poor light.

I don't think much should be made of why Indian members are posting those links, they would of course, not being Pakistani, think that what was presented was accurate, or sense that something was amiss and want to see Pakistani opinion on it. And we should politely point out what, in our opinions, is correct and what isn't.

Judging motives is almost impossible, so lets not even try.

Oye Agnostic dont be so seriouse yara im always having this personal bothring with Sir Ray


As far their posting against Pakistan who is stopping them man.

I only have this little fight with Sir Ray due to that little personal relation and its two-way traffic we both hit at each others.