Washington, August 15: Washington immigration officials have detained a Pakistani journalist employed by Voice of America, the US-funded news service said Friday.
Voice of America urged “a speedy resolution of whatever issues led to the detention” of 33-year-old Rahman Bunairee, who was picked up on Sunday at Washington’s Dulles airport.
VOA said Bunairee was in possession of a valid visa and had come to the United States for one year to work for Deewa radio, the organization’s Pashtu-language service which broadcasts to the Afghan-Pakistan border region.
The Washington Post reported that Bunairee was hoping to find refuge in the United States after Islamic militants in Pakistan destroyed his house and threatened to kill him because of his reporting.
Bunairee had recently covered a series of high-profile offensives by the Pakistani military against militants in Pakistan’s restive tribal areas, the report said.
–Agencies