*ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the media reports about US visa sanctions onPakistan, the Foreign Office (FO) here on Sunday said, “The insinuationsmade in the media reports are misleading.”*
In a statement, the FO said that they saw the media reports about a USFederal Registry notification on “introduction of new rules” on consularmatters and clarified that there were ongoing discussions between Pakistanand the US on consular matters including repatriation issues.
Both countries were working bilaterally on these issues consistent withtheir respective laws and had made considerable progress, read thestatement.
The Foreign Office further said, “We understand that the US governmentwould continue the normal consular operations at their Embassy in Islamabadand that the ongoing discussions do not affect issuance of visas to routinePakistani applicants.”
It is pertinent to mention here that such reports were circulating onforeign and social media since morning that US imposed visa sanctions onPakistan after Islamabad refused to take back its citizen deportees.
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Earlier, Visa duration for Pakistani citizens had been reduced to threemonths from five years, US Embassy spokesperson had said on March 5.
The announcement would also be applicable to the Pakistani journalists whowould be issued visas for three months. The US government had alsoincreased visa application fees for Pakistanis up to $192 from $160.
According to the US Embassy spokesperson, the move was made in response tomodification of visa policy and fees by the Pakistani government.
