PTI peace march: Pakistan High Commission denies receiving journalists' visa applications

Pakistan mission rejects claims that two foreign journalists were denied visas.

The Pakistan High Commission in London has rejected news that two foreign journalists who were invited to cover the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) South Waziristan peace march were denied Pakistani visas. The party had earlier issued a statement claiming that the two journalists had been denied visas.

In a statement sent to The Express Tribune, the Pakistan High Commission categorically denied the news and maintained that it had not received any visa applications from journalists Carol Grayson and Yacine Helali, as claimed by the PTI.

The statement added that the Pakistan High Commission has always been “generous” in issuing visas to journalists, however, “it has to follow certain rules, regulations as well as security requirements for areas such as South Waziristan where war against terrorism is on”.

“These constraints are essentially for the safety of journalists to secure them against any untoward incident that could lead to embarrassment for Pakistan in foreign media. Therefore, the Pakistan High Commission, London has to seek clearance from relevant security agencies for necessary action,” the statement added.