I thought that was odd too. It could be the reporter's mistake. But if not, what do you think was going on there? Was the guy a fake Pakistani? Or was he pulling a fast one with the reporter?
I would lean towards it being the reporter's mistake. The other possible explanations don't really add up. For example, even if the guy is a fake Pakistani, as long as he's from the Indian Subcontinent or pretty much anywhere in the Arabic or Persian-speaking world, he'd still say Pakistani, and not Pakistanian. Frankly, I've never even heard Pakistanian. And as for pulling a fast one on the reporter, sure - but to what end? What would be the point? I am at a loss.. reporter mistake seems to be the only thing that makes sense, but if its not that, there's something very mysterious about this whole story.