A British-American journalist who claimed to be a personal friend of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and was seeking a meeting with him was on Wednesday informed by law enforcement agencies his visa was cancelled and he had five hours to leave the country.
Charles Glass, 73, is a journalist and writer specializing in the Middle East and World War II who has worked for several prominent media organizations, including Newsweek, ABC TV, and The Telegraph. He currently works as a freelance journalist.
Glass reached Pakistan last week, with Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, seeking to include him on a list of family members who are permitted to meet the former prime minister weekly at Adiala Jail, where he is presently incarcerated. Jail authorities denied this request, noting Glass was not a family member. Sources within the government believe he was trying to interview Khan. Glass, per sources within the PTI, had even sought permission to meet Khan through Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Reportedly, Glass was visiting Islamabad-based journalist Zahid Hussain on Wednesday morning when police reached the residence and asked to meet the foreign journalist. During the meeting, Glass was reportedly informed his visa had been cancelled and he had to leave the country within five hours. Police then accompanied the journalist to his lodgings to collect his luggage before depositing him at the airport, where he reportedly took a flight to Abu Dhabi.
While it is unclear under what law Glass was deported, sources claimed he was visiting Pakistan on a tourist visa and his attempt to interview Khan as a journalist violated his visa.