The US could also limit the movement of Pakistani diplomatic staff in Washington if Islamabad does not withdraw restrictions imposed by the government on the travel of American diplomats in the country.
Apart from the US diplomatic staff in Islamabad, some European diplomats have also complained to the Foreign Ministry about the restrictions they are facing during their travel, but Pakistani officials say only some general rules are being followed, which are essential for the safety of foreign diplomats. US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, who will hold the fourth trilateral meeting of the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan with senior diplomats from the two countries today (Tuesday), will also hold detailed discussions on the fresh row between Islamabad and Washington over Pakistan’s decision to impose a ban on the travel of US diplomats outside Islamabad without a no-objection certificate (NoC) issued by the Foreign Office.
Permission: American diplomats, who intend to travel to cities other than Islamabad, would have to take special permission five days in advance from the Foreign Office. A diplomatic source said that the new restrictions imposed by Pakistan were not confined to US diplomats only. However, he would not share the names of the countries whose diplomats have been asked to abide by the restrictions, including the NoC for travelling to other cities.
The US authorities are deeply perturbed over Islamabad’s move and they have already conveyed this displeasure to Pakistani diplomats in Washington. Some media reports also suggested that US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter was also stopped and asked for a NoC by the authorities at Islamabad airport. Apart from that, many other US diplomats travelling from Islamabad earlier this month were turned away from Peshawar for not having a NoC.
“The US administration believes that the decision by Pakistan to impose travel restrictions on American diplomats is a retaliatory move on part of Islamabad in the wake of arrest of Washington-based Kashmiri leader Ghulam Nabi Fai, who it says was working as lobbyist for the ISI to highlight the Kashmir issue,” said a Pakistani diplomat. However, he said the restrictions were meant to halt the movement of some CIA operatives still active in Pakistan in the garb of American diplomats. He said the information that Islamabad had received from the Pakistani embassy in Washington suggested that Grossman would take up this issue with the Pakistani leadership during his stay in Islamabad with a strong demand for their withdrawal as soon as possible.
“The Pakistani diplomats in Washington have been plainly told that same travel restrictions could be imposed on them as well by the US authorities and they wouldn’t be able to move outside the American capital in case Pakistan didn’t review its decision,” the diplomat said.
If it comes under US restrictions, Pakistan would join the club of states considered pariah in Washington including Iran, Syria, Yemen and the Palestinian Authority.