The New York Times‘ Pakistan correspondent’s house was searched by Rangers earlier today in Islamabad, ostensibly as part of a ‘terrorist’ search operation.
“Rangers have shown up at my house, saying they want to search the premises but have no documents or warrants,” Salman Masood said .
“A man in civvies, with them, says he is from ‘intelligence’ but not giving more identification. Insists on property search.
A senior police official in the capital informed the journalist that a “terrorist search operation was underway”.
Pictures posted by Masood of the search operation showed Rangers searching Masood’s house for evidence as part of a “routine search operation.”
In June 2013, Declan Walsh, The New York Times Pakistan bureau chief, was officially placed in category A of the Black List (BL), with the government declaring him persona non grata, documents revealed. According to the letter issued by Shahid Riaz, assistant director (BL Cell) at the directorate general for immigration and passports, Walsh had been blacklisted on the recommendation of the interior ministry and will no longer be able to avail visa facilities without the prior approval of the immigration and passports authority.
