The United States on Wednesday said that its diplomats have been facing longstanding travel restrictions in Pakistan which has prompted the Trump administration to reciprocate in the same manner. "There are longstanding restrictions on movement of diplomats, including Americans, in Pakistan", said a spokesperson for the US Embassy here in response to Business Recorder's query on Wednesday.
The statement contradicts Foreign Office's April 10 statement: "no directive has been issued from MOFA [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] restricting movement of diplomats in Islamabad. The rumours are all wrong". However, the US Embassy spokesperson was reluctant to divulge the details of the controversy around the restrictions being imposed on the movement of Pakistani diplomats from May 1 by the US.
"We are not prepared to announce anything on this matter", the Embassy spokesperson said when asked to comment on the new travel guidelines for Pakistani diplomats forcing them to stay within 40km of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington and the consulates in other cities they are posted in.
However, diplomatic sources said that the US State Department has in writing conveyed to Pakistan's Embassy in Washington and here in the Foreign Office that Pakistani diplomats at the Embassy and consulates would require a formal permission of the State Department when travelling beyond 40 kilometers radius of their posted locations.
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal did not respond to queries put forward to him on the exact nature of the travel restrictions on foreign diplomats in Pakistan as well as restrictions imposed by the US on Pakistani diplomats. However, sources revealed that the foreign diplomats posted in Pakistan are required to get a NoC from the Foreign Office for security reasons. "Following the increase in terror incidents, foreign diplomats are required to inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to travelling to other cities with a view to ensuring their safety", said a diplomatic source.
In an interview with the Voice of America (VoA), Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon on Tuesday said the United States was placing these restrictions on Pakistani diplomats because Pakistan had in place similar restrictions on US diplomats in the country.
"Typically, these kinds of restrictions are reciprocal in nature, so I will just leave it at that", Shannon stated. Reports of new travel restrictions on Pakistani diplomats appeared soon after the Foreign Office summoned US Ambassador David Hale on April 8 to lodge a strong protest over the death of a student in a traffic accident that involved the defence and air attaché of the US Embassy.
"The foreign secretary conveyed [to the US envoy] that justice will take its course in accordance with the law of the land and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961", the Foreign Office stated. To Business Recorder's query on the status of the investigations into the car accident, the US Embassy spokesperson stated: "Embassy officials are in close contact with government of Pakistan officials on this matter".