<p>Authorities at Pakistan's Lahore airport denied entry to the Asia coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), saying his name was on blacklist managed by the Ministry of Interior, a statement from the New York-based organisation said.</p>.<p>An immigration officer at Lahore's international airport told Steven Butler that his journalist visa was valid, but it was voided because his name was "on a stop list of the Interior Ministry", the CPJ statement quoted Butler as saying.</p>.<p>The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Ministry did not respond to Reuters calls seeking comment.</p>.<p>Butler had travelled to Lahore to participate in the Asma Jahangir Conference–Roadmap for Human Rights in Pakistan, an event named after a Pakistani lawyer and rights activist who died last year.</p>.<p>Pakistan's press has had a turbulent relationship with successive governments and the powerful military over many years. Some in the media complained of a severe crackdown in the run-up to the 2018 general election that saw Prime Minister Imran Khan's PTI party sweep to power.</p>.<p>The CPJ has been critical of what it says are government moves to curb press freedom in Pakistan and has been issuing statement's demanding an end to a crackdown on the media.</p>.<p>Airport authorities at Allama Iqbal International Airport confiscated Steven Butler's passport and put him on a flight to Doha, Qatar, The CPJ said. When he arrived in Doha, he was placed on a flight to Washington D.C.</p>.<p>Butler, who communicated with the CJP while in-flight, said he was in a kind of "restricted custody", with the flight crew in possession of his passport and boarding pass, said the CPJ.</p>.<p>"The Pakistani authorities' move to block Steven Butler from entering the country is baffling and is a slap in the face to those concerned about press freedom in the country," said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director, in the statement.</p>.<p>"Pakistani authorities should give a full explanation of their decision to bar Butler from entering and correct this error," the statement added. </p>
<p>Authorities at Pakistan's Lahore airport denied entry to the Asia coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), saying his name was on blacklist managed by the Ministry of Interior, a statement from the New York-based organisation said.</p>.<p>An immigration officer at Lahore's international airport told Steven Butler that his journalist visa was valid, but it was voided because his name was "on a stop list of the Interior Ministry", the CPJ statement quoted Butler as saying.</p>.<p>The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Ministry did not respond to Reuters calls seeking comment.</p>.<p>Butler had travelled to Lahore to participate in the Asma Jahangir Conference–Roadmap for Human Rights in Pakistan, an event named after a Pakistani lawyer and rights activist who died last year.</p>.<p>Pakistan's press has had a turbulent relationship with successive governments and the powerful military over many years. Some in the media complained of a severe crackdown in the run-up to the 2018 general election that saw Prime Minister Imran Khan's PTI party sweep to power.</p>.<p>The CPJ has been critical of what it says are government moves to curb press freedom in Pakistan and has been issuing statement's demanding an end to a crackdown on the media.</p>.<p>Airport authorities at Allama Iqbal International Airport confiscated Steven Butler's passport and put him on a flight to Doha, Qatar, The CPJ said. When he arrived in Doha, he was placed on a flight to Washington D.C.</p>.<p>Butler, who communicated with the CJP while in-flight, said he was in a kind of "restricted custody", with the flight crew in possession of his passport and boarding pass, said the CPJ.</p>.<p>"The Pakistani authorities' move to block Steven Butler from entering the country is baffling and is a slap in the face to those concerned about press freedom in the country," said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director, in the statement.</p>.<p>"Pakistani authorities should give a full explanation of their decision to bar Butler from entering and correct this error," the statement added. </p>