JournalismPakistan.com | Published September 12, 2017
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD – Immigration authorities in Myanmar detained and deported Pakistani journalists Aamir Liaquat and Waqar Zaka last week after they were unable to explain their reason for visiting the country.
Myanmar Times reported Monday the two were sent back on Thai Airways flight TG 303 to Bangkok. Both have since returned to Pakistan.
The paper quoted Immigration Officer U Myint Zaw who questioned them on arrival at Yangon International Airport. “I asked them some basic questions because they came in on tourist visas, not as media organizations.’’
The officer pointed out that they had equipment for reporting, such as a camera, tripod, and others but said they were just in Myanmar for a visit.
“I decided to check them carefully because one of them was a famous TV presenter in Pakistan. We got information that they would try to come in using a United Nations visa to report on the Rakhine conflict, but their visa was not what I was informed,” the immigration officer said.
According to his Twitter account, he and Waqar Zaka, another TV anchorperson, came to Myanmar with a UN visa to cover atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims.
The paper said the airport police confirmed the two came in on tourist visas and had no contact person in Myanmar to translate.
“We did everything according to Myanmar immigration law,’’ the paper quoted a spokesperson for the airport police force as saying.
Liaquat hosts the program Aisay Nahin Chalay Ga on BOL News while Zaka is also a television host.
Meanwhile, Liaquat in his show aired Monday disclosed details of their unsuccessful trip. He revealed he teamed up with Zaka because he had been to Myanmar before but had entered illegally.
He said he was asked by immigration “Are you a tourist?
“I said I am not a tourist but a journalist.”
“Why do you want to enter Myanmar?”
“I told them there were various reports coming out in the world media about what’s going on in Myanmar and I want to tell the world the facts.”
The officer then “opened my Twitter handle on his cell phone and showed it to me. The tweets show you are here to help Rohingya Muslims, who are terrorists.”
“I am not here to help them but to report facts,” Liaquat told the officer.
“He then took my passport and told me that I was a former federal minister, that I work for BOL and had done programs on Rohingya Muslims and I was against Aung San Suu Kyi.”
Liaquat said on his show they were pushed and shoved into the plane and their passports not given to them. “We were told we would get them back in Bangkok.
On arrival in Bangkok, police detained them and they were questioned and asked to leave the country within 24 hours. Since their return ticket was for September 15, they had to buy new ones and return home.
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.