Washington (TDI): Pakistan has reached out to the State Department for clarity after reports of possible travel restrictions being imposed on entry to the United States.
Last week, US media reported that Pakistan may also be included on a list of nations whose citizens would be barred from entering the US, as part of the President Trump administration’s tightening noose on illegal immigration.
Subsequent reports suggested that Pakistanis may not face an outright ban on travel, but may undergo “more scrutiny” when applying for a visa.
Pakistan’s US Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Shaikh said that they are in contact with the State Department, but nothing has been shared yet, Dawn reported.
Earlier this week, US media reported that Pakistan could be placed in an “orange” category, which would impose curbs on certain types of visas.
Read More: Trump Plans New Travel Ban on Pakistanis, Afghans
Countries in this category would only be eligible for visas such as business travel for affluent people, but not for immigrants or tourists.
The length of these visas could also be shortened, and applicants will have to attend in-person interviews.
Speculation regarding a new travel ban emerged last week when reports in major US and UK newspapers indicated that a draft proposal calls for a “red list” of nations whose citizens could be barred from entering the United States.
Read More: Trump Hails Pakistan’s Role in IS Terrorist Capture
This list would largely comprise nations previously restricted under earlier versions of the travel ban, including Cuba, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, North Korea, Venezuela and Yemen.
The proposed draft tentatively includes Afghanistan to the list, but it is not clear whether Pakistan is or is not on the list.
However, some Pakistani students studying in the United States have reportedly been asked not to return home because their institutions are not sure whether they would be allowed back into the country.
Last week, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) warned Pakistanis, among nearly a dozen other nationalities, not to travel from the US until the administration announces the new travel ban.
