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BREAKING NEWS: American Journalist Nicholas Schmidle Deported From Pakistan
Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Friday, Jan 11, 12:37PM
An American journalist, Nicholas Schmidle, who authored the article "Next Gen Taliban" that appeared in Sunday's New York Times Magazine has been deported from Pakistan. He was forced to leave today -- Friday, 11 January.
Schmidle will be returning to Washington, DC on Saturday and will be joining a panel I am moderating Monday afternoon titled "Pakistan in Peril" featuring veteran journalists and Pakistan-watchers Steve Coll and Peter Bergen as well as former Bush administration National Security Council senior official Flynt Leverett. Nicholas Schmidle will now be part of this panel.
Schmidle was informed that the Ministry of Interior was deporting him for unspecified reasons, but his speculation is that he was expelled because of his article which The Washington Note highlighted on Wednesday, 2 January -- before it came out on Sunday.
These are the latest dispatches that Schmidle has published in Slate.
Other journalists I have spoken to today tell me that there is a pattern of intimidation of journalists clearly emerging in Pakistan. While this may be the first deportation of an American journalist that most can recall, there have been other troubling incidents.
New America Foundation fellow and journalist Eliza Griswold was apparently held in custody by Pakistan authorities on one occasion. CNN Terrorism Analyst and New America Foundation senior fellow Peter Bergen was denied a visa on one occasion in 2006 with no explanation given. Nir Rosen -- also a New America Foundation fellow who has reported extensively on Middle East affairs -- was threatened in Quetta, Pakistan by what some believe to be government "goons" and was told that he needed to leave immediately or he would be "the next Danny Pearl." New York Times correspondent Carlotta Gall was beaten by thugs who identified themselves as Pakistani police.
Some believe that Schmidle's article antogonized Pakistani government officials because he conducted interviews in Quetta where the Taliban are operating in full public. These sources suggest that Pakistan government authorities want to limit exposure to the fact that they have done nothing to shut down the Taliban in Quetta and/or are turning a blind eye to the Taliban's operations theres.
For those in the Washington, DC area -- the event I will be moderating with Schmidle, Coll, Bergen, and Leverett will be from 2:30 pm til 4:00 pm on Monday, 14 January at the offices of the New America Foundation. A video clip will be posted later to the New America Foundation website.
-- Steve Clemons
Reader Comments (16) - post a comment
Nice. Glad to see you back in the hosting business, in such a timely manner, w/ such a supporting cast.
Would be nice to hear NAF fellows Eliza Griswold and Nir Rosen as well, but perhaps panel would become unwieldy. Look fwd to video archive, in lieu of c-span.
so... was "today" fri. the 11th, or thurs the 10th?
Erich -- Schmidle emailed me as he was being deported with a Thursday the 10th time stamp -- but that was actually early am Friday the 11th. He flew to London early am on the 11th....today.
Oops..see I goofed on date...fixing now.
In light of his deportation, I do hope Nicholas Schmidle and/or the New York Times magazine have made arrangements for the safety of the Pakistani fixer(s)/translator(s) who worked with him.
Hannah -- Thanks for the note. I'll ask Nick Schmidle when he's here. I know he speaks several of the local languages -- so dont know if he had a translator/fixer who wasn't acceptable to the people he was interviewing -- some who were in the leadership of some of the stronger Islamist groups in Pakistan. Nick and his wife both lived in Pakistan these last two years -- and thus this deportation is upsetting. He really loves the place, and the Pakistan government has hurt a friend of the country.
Steve Clemons
ooo that event looks interesting.Too bad I live too far.I'd like to know one thing in particular about Pakistan that I hope will be addressed: If Al Qaeda should manage to kill Musharraf, then what? Does that mean Islamic extremists would take over? What about the regular people?(like those lawyers who protested Musharraf, like other professionals, doctors, businesspeople and regular citizens)? Who do they support to lead Pakistan? Is any potential leader coming from that arena? Or do their politics not work that way? In other words, are the options for Pakistan limited to Musharraf, someone from the PPP or Islamic extremists seeking a state run by Sharia law? Anyone else out there? Any other possibilities?
Your readers might be interested in three pieces Nicholas has written for VQR:
- http://www.vqronline.org/webexclusive/2008/01/02/schmidle-ready-to-die/
- http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2008/winter/schmidle-democracy-postcard/
- http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2007/spring/schmidle-waiting-for-worst/
Excellent question from karenk. I've been reading The Frontier Post a lot recently and not surprisingly their editorial page has had some very harsh criticisms of U.S. foreign policy. The latest one I read was how the United States left Pakistan out in the cold following our assistance to the Afghan mujahedeen, via the ISI, in the war against the Soviets in the 1980s. After reading similar editorials from the Pakistani press, I wonder how the intellectual elites within that country align politically. These are the educated and rational Pakistanis. These are not the Taiban or al Qaeda. These are the editors and writers of English language newspapers. What will happen with these and the millions of other educated Pakistanis that hate America, Musharraf AND the Taliban/al Qaeda? That's the critical question that many in our country tend to ignore. Any thoughts?
Steve,
Thanks for alerting us to this situation. I have sent this to my full list and also posted it on my own private blog here:
http://www.atlargely.com/2008/01/journalist-nich.html
Best,
Larisa
Just curious. Do you suppose his deportation has anything to do with what was also mentioned in the Times about the discussion by Cheney and others about a wider role of the CIA in Pakistan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas? Juan Cole mentioned this on Wed.
http://www.juancole.com/2008/01/osc-pakistani-papers-react-to-nyt-story.html#comments
@karenk
I am a Pakistani and the illusion that Pakistan will collapse after Musharraf is ..just an illusion. There is no chance of Taliban taking over Pakistan. Extremist elements have no support of Pakistanis. Even the religious party alliance MMA renounces Taliban style of government. Why they are able to do so much damage is just because of abundance of weaponry Cold war era and a long Afghan border. US govt and people should stop supporting dictatorship because the strategy of using force indiscriminately by Musharraf is a total failure.
Pakistan is a military dictatorship. What the hell do we expect them to do to journalists that rock the boat; give them awards?
Welcome to the reality of Bush's "war on terror", and his democratization process, demonstrated so clearly by this "most favored ally in the war on terror".
Meanwhile, Mahmud Ahmed and Khan walk free, superheroes to every Muslim fanatic that has wet dreams about severing American heads.
Just another day in Bushworld.
karenk raises a very valid point -- something for those sitting in washington to take note --
omar r. quraishi
op-ed pages editor
Something for everyone to ponder, how many journalist have the Americans jailed or are holding for making statement that would seem anti US, how many journalist have been "accidentally" shot by the US, lets not forget Bush wanting to bomb Aljazeera. So much for being fair to the free press, Pakistan just kicked this guy out where as the US just kills them, who is better and who is worst, lets see a panel discuss that if they dare;)
I am grateful for the responses. Through links provided here that I checked out leading to ever more links(including a great poll by worldopinion.org) it seems that:1-Pakistanis want a justice system that works, and they'll take Sharia law to get it. 2-they don't trust the US 3-they want to elect their own representatives democratically 4- they want Islam as their national religion. One thing is clear from my American perspective-we should not be backing Musharraf. It was interesting to note that Pakistani editorialists were saying that the thanks they'll get from the US for backing the war on terror is the US invading Pakistan via the FATA's and gaining control of their nuclear program. Meanwhile the perception here in the US media is that the thanks the US is getting from Pakistan for giving them billion$ is a half hearted effort in the FATA's where al Qaeda is regrouping to attack us again and still no capture of bin Laden/al zawahiri! Wow. This current US/Pak alliance is like THE marriage from hell!
...and by 'marriage from hell' I mean,despite all the promises, neither is getting what they really want, and both are feeling used. What is really needed is a 'marriage counselor'. Who could that be?
HEllo!
Dear Nicholas Schmidle
Why not u visit Guntanamo bay or see what is your army doing in Afghanistan, Iraq Philpine. Somalia.........long list.
Please stop blaming Pakistan. If u look at your own past and present you will see that your hands are cloured with the blood of Innocent Muslims
Please donot mid. This true and truth is harmfull
Bestregards
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