Correction For The Record

November 17, 2009

Islamabad - A national daily newspaper yesterday published on its front page the photograph of a residence in Islamabad that it alleged is a "suspected Blackwater house," where "suspicious foreigners" had "manhandled" and created "a wave of fear and insecurity" among residents. The paper's edition today adds further to the story, but claiming that its photographer had been harassed by police while taking pictures of the residence.

The accusations are entirely false. The photographed house was inhabited until yesterday by civilian humanitarian staff from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) who lived there quietly, without incident. The diplomats have since been moved from the residence for security reasons.  Aside from the aggressive harassment of Americans without cause, the newspaper's false accusations were directed against people working with the Pakistan government to alleviate the plight of Pakistan's poorest citizens.