Pakistan 'deports' British journalist who arrived to meet Imran Khan in jail
1. Sources say Charles Glass was taken to airport after authorities cancelled his visa
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reportedly deported British journalist Charles Glass after he was denied permission to meet incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Geo News reported quoting sources on Wednesday.
The US-born British journalist was taken to the airport from a residence in the federal capital after authorities canceled his visa, according to the sources.
The veteran journalist had sought permission from Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi via email to meet the PTI founder. Glass informed the minister that he was not allowed to meet Khan in jail despite a court order.
Imran Khan has been jailed for almost a year, having been incarcerated on August 5 of last year. He faces multiple charges ranging from terrorism to corruption, all of which he denies.
A day earlier, the 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician expressed his willingness to hold talks with the military to defuse the political crisis that has gripped the country since his ouster in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
The alleged deportation came four days after Glass, who is said to be a friend of Khan, revealed that he was barred from meeting Khan in prison.
The journalist, who arrived in Islamabad last week to see Khan, told the media: "I am here [in Pakistan] as a friend of Imran Khan, and not as a lawyer or an activist."
Glass wrote an article on World Press Freedom Day in May this year supporting the release of Julian Assange and Imran Khan, arguing that both were imprisoned for defying the United States.
However, WikiLeaks founder Assange was freed on June 25 this year from the UK's high-security Belmarsh prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified US government documents.
As a journalist and author, Glass has extensively covered conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe for the past 45 years. One of his books is "Soldiers Don't Go Mad: A Story of Brotherhood, Poetry, and Mental Illness During the First World War."
