Pakistan printer censors New York Times claims over Taliban

A report in the International New York Times claiming Pakistan's government protected Taliban forces has been censored by the publisher's printing partner in that country, resulting in a blank space on the front page of its international edition.

The article, a 4,800-word excerpt from a forthcoming book by Times reporter Carlotta Gall to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt next month, appeared in the newspaper's magazine in the United States and was intended as a front-page article of the international edition on Saturday.

While the story appears on most copies of the international edition, it does not show up in papers distributed in Pakistan, about 9,000 copies, according to the publisher.

The Times' Pakistan printer, part of the Express Tribune newspaper group in that country, removed the article without its knowledge, according to Times spokeswoman Eileen Murphy.

"We would never self-censor and this decision was made without our knowledge or agreement," she said.