IN the mid-2000s, my sister was living in Damascus and I planned a visit to her and then a trip to Lebanon, together. But I could not secure a visa to Syria, ostensibly because I was a journalist, something I did not disclose in my application, choosing instead to describe myself accurately as a freelance writer.
Someone from the embassy called. I had not submitted my CV, but he knew when I had worked at this newspaper as a leader writer. He said they’d get back to me. When I called to follow up, a very kind Pakistani staff member told me they did not grant visas to journalists, even to folks vowing not to practise again.
