ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary said thatPakistan and the United States had established a hotline-like mechanism inIslamabad to redress the grievances that led to unprecedented diplomatictensions between the two countries.
The mechanism includes a senior official — director general US — from theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and a senior diplomat from the US Embassy inIslamabad.
“It works 24/7, as somebody is always monitoring the hotline,” said MrChaudhary. “The idea is, whenever an incident involving a US diplomathappens anywhere in the country, it should be reported immediately to thesepeople, so that they could resolve it.”
On Friday, Islamabad placed restrictions on US diplomats in Pakistan, asWashington imposed similar curbs on Pakistani diplomats in the US. Therestrictions confine the diplomats and their families within the citiesthey are posted at. Pakistan also withdrew “special facilities” provided toUS diplomats.
Apparently, two recent traffic accidents in Islamabad, involving USdiplomats further strained already tense relations between the US andPakistan. A US Embassy security officer, Taimur Peerzada, was brieflyarrested when he went to help a US diplomat involved in the second accident.