The White House administration has decided to impose new restrictions on Pakistani diplomats in the US, following a fatal traffic accident in Islamabad by the United States military attaché which killed a youngster, a private news outlet reported.
According to sources, the US government has reportedly prepared a new code of conduct which will restrict the movement of Pakistani diplomatic staff to a 45-kilometre radius. Pakistani diplomatic staff would need permission from the US authorities before embarking on a journey beyond 45 kilometres from the embassy and consulates.
They would also need to keep their accommodation within the 45-kilometre radius of the embassy and consulates.
The new restrictions would be implementable from May 1, causing difficulties for the Pakistani staff in performing their duties.
The development comes to fore only days after US defence and air attaché Col Joseph Emanuel Hall’s reckless driving killed a motorcyclist and injured another in the federal capital. The attaché was booked in a criminal case after he hit the two motorcyclists at Daman-e-Koh intersection on Saturday.
Although the diplomat was not detained because of his diplomatic immunity, the police are now proceeding to get his local driving licence revoked.
The capital police have also sent a letter to the Ministry of Interior, asking to include Hall’s name in the Exit Control List (ECL). Another letter was sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to place the US diplomat’s name on its watch-list.