The Ministry of External Affairs has condemned Pakistan’s expulsion of Indian journalists stationed there, including The Hindu ’s Meena Menon, saying it was “regrettable and unfortunate.” “Not allowing independent journalists to function is a retrograde step, especially as the free flow of information between India and Pakistan has long been recognised as an important confidence-building measure,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ms. Menon and the PTI’s Snehesh Alex Philip received letters on Tuesday, asking them to leave the country in a week. No reasons were assigned. “It is an unfortunate development. We think informed and sensible coverage from out of Pakistan would be valuable for an Indian newspaper,” said N. Ravi, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu .
