According to a press statement issued by the organisation, Butler was informed that his name had been placed on a ‘stop list’.
The statement said that immigration authorities barred Butler from entering Pakistan as his name was on a blacklist given by the Ministry of Interior.
Butler’s passport was confiscated by airport authorities and he was forced on a flight to Doha.
The CPJ has called the move ‘baffling’ and a slap on the face of those concerned about press freedom in the country. The organisation has demanded a full investigation for the decision to block Steven Butler’s entry.
Butler had arrived in Lahore to attend the Asma Jahangir Conference: Roadmap for Human Rights in Pakistan.