WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has reserved the decision on restrictions placed on the movement of Pakistani diplomats in the United States, sources revealed on Monday. According to them, the decision will be made public on May 11.
The new restrictions were set to come into effect on May 1 but has been delayed. No statement has been issued yet in this regard. Sources have also said that Pakistan had informed the Acting State Department South and Central Asia Assistant Secretary Alice Wells of their reservations on her recent trip.
Earlier this month, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon said ‘reciprocal’ travel restrictions will be imposed on Pakistani diplomats in the US. In an exclusive interview with Voice of America’s Uzbek Service, Shannon said: “Our diplomats are under travel restrictions.
They can travel further [than 40 kilometres], but they have to notify the government of Pakistan. It’s very common in diplomacy”. When contacted, the US embassy declined to comment on the nature of restrictions and said, “We are not prepared to announce anything on this matter.”
“What’s important here is that we’ve had some very fruitful conversations with Pakistan about events inside of Afghanistan. It’s my hope that we’re going to be able to build off those in a way that helps this broader reconciliation process,” said the US diplomat when probed further.