Officials left in dark over NZ detainee

Diplomats were denied face-to-face contact with a New Zealander detained in a Pakistani prison for nearly six weeks, frustrating New Zealand authorities concerned for his safety, official emails say.

Pakistani security forces arrested Mark Taylor, 36, who was trying to enter a tribal region on the Afghan border, an al Qaeda and Taleban militant stronghold, in early February.

In late March, Mr Taylor was freed from prison and deported. No charges were laid, but he was banned from returning to Pakistan.

After his release, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said he was grateful to Pakistani authorities for keeping New Zealand "informed of Mr Taylor's situation and well-being".

But emails obtained by the Weekend Herald reveal that Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials were increasingly frustrated by the lack of access to him over those six weeks.

The emails, obtained under the Official Information Act, were heavily censored but show that New Zealand representatives were allowed only one phone call to Mr Taylor two weeks after he was captured.

He seemed in "high spirits" but Pakistani authorities refused further access, despite the best efforts of the honorary consul to Pakistan, Moin Fudda, and later the British High Commission.

Concerned ministry officials sent several letters to Pakistani counterparts highlighting their obligations under the Vienna Convention, providing for "immediate notification in case of detention of foreign nationals".

Repeated requests for an independent medical examination of Mr Taylor, a second phone call or a personal visit, and information about his deportation status were also ignored.

Ministry official Lyndal Walker wrote to Mr Taylor's family to reassure them that he was healthy.

Eventually, Mr McCully raised the issue with Pakistan's honorary consul to New Zealand, Munawar Bhatti, according to a briefing paper.

A large section of the paper was deleted, then Mr McCully said that he "did not challenge the caution that you [Pakistan] were showing" and that he "recognised that when someone placed themselves in a suspicious position it ... warranted further investigation".

Yesterday Mr McCully declined to comment.

Information about Mr Taylor was tightly controlled during the six-week period.

Ministry communications adviser received frequent calls from news outlets about Mr Taylor, butt were told to stick to "key talking points", including included:

That the Pakistan investigation was ongoing.

That next of kin were being kept up-to-date on progress but wished to make no comment.

That diplomats in Pakistan and Iran were in contact with Pakistani authorities.

That the ministry was waiting for confirmation whether Mr Taylor was to be charged.

That the New Zealand Government could not intervene in the judicial process of another country.

All these points were true, but the only contact Mr Fudda had with Mr Taylor was a 30-minute phone conversation two weeks after he was arrested.

New Zealand authorities were kept in the dark to the point that Mr Fudda was not told of Mr Taylor's imminent release.

Instead, Mr Bhatti told a ministry official that no charges would be laid. She in turn informed her bosses in Wellington.