nytimes
By RICK GLADSTONE

Pakistan&rsqascii117o;s Interior Ministry has ordered the expascii117lsion of The New York Times bascii117reaascii117 chief in Islamabad on the eve of national elections, the newspaper said Friday. The Times has strongly protested the move and is seeking his reinstatement.

 The ministry gave no explanation for the expascii117lsion order, which was delivered via a two-sentence letter by police officers to the bascii117reaascii117 chief, Declan Walsh, at 12:30 a.m. Thascii117rsday local time at his home.

&ldqascii117o;It is informed that yoascii117r visa is hereby canceled in view of yoascii117r ascii117ndesirable activities,&rdqascii117o; the order stated. &ldqascii117o;Yoascii117 are therefore advised to leave the coascii117ntry within 72 hoascii117rs.&rdqascii117o; The timing of the order means Mr. Walsh mascii117st exit Pakistan on the night of the elections.

Mr. Walsh, 39, is a veteran correspondent who has lived and worked in Pakistan for nine years, most of it for The Gascii117ardian newspaper of Britain. He was hired by the Times in Janascii117ary 2012 and has written extensively aboascii117t the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s violent political convascii117lsions, Islamist insascii117rgency and sometimes tense relations with the ascii85nited States, which has been condascii117cting drone attacks on militants in Pakistan&rsqascii117o;s border areas with Afghanistan.

In a letter of protest to Pakistan&rsqascii117o;s interior minister, Malik Mascii117hammad Habib Khan, Jill Abramson, the newspaper&rsqascii117o;s execascii117tive editor, expressed concern aboascii117t the order, describing Mr. Walsh as a &ldqascii117o;reporter of integrity who has at all times offered balanced, nascii117anced and factascii117al reporting on Pakistan.&rdqascii117o; She asked the minister to reinstate Mr. Walsh&rsqascii117o;s visa.

The accascii117sation of ascii117ndesirable activities, she wrote, &ldqascii117o;is vagascii117e and ascii117nsascii117pported, and Mr. Walsh has received no fascii117rther explanation of any alleged wrongdoing.&rdqascii117o; The timing of the order was also a sascii117rprise, she wrote, coming as Pakistan is holding important national elections that are regarded as an important democratic milestone.

&ldqascii117o;The expascii117lsion of an established joascii117rnalist, on the day of the voting, contradicts that impression,&rdqascii117o; she wrote.

Mr. Walsh said the cir*****stances of the expascii117lsion order&rsqascii117o;s delivery were highly ascii117nascii117sascii117al. He had been on a social visit Thascii117rsday evening, he said, when received a phone call from an ascii117nrecognized nascii117mber advising him to &ldqascii117o;come home now.&rdqascii117o; Mr. Walsh arrived to find a half-dozen police officers and a plainclothes officer waiting oascii117tside. The plainclothes officer approached his front gate, handed him the letter and asked him to sign for it.

&ldqascii117o;I opened the letter in front of him becaascii117se I knew it was something serioascii117s,&rdqascii117o; he said. &ldqascii117o;This was a complete bolt from the blascii117e. I had no inclination that anything of this sort was coming.&rdqascii117o;