Foreign Office authorities are re-examining “travel restrictions” imposed on diplomats, which has become the latest thorn in already strained ties between Islamabad and Washington.
The foreign ministry has decided to review existing protocol for movement of diplomats after the US lodged a strong protest against it and threatened to impose similar restrictions on Pakistani diplomats in Washington.
According to existing guidelines, members of diplomatic missions are required to send to the foreign ministry their requests for visits outside Islamabad and provincial capitals at least five working days in advance.
The guidelines were circulated to foreign missions in January but they were implemented only after the May 2 raid by US Navy SEALs that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.
Security officials said the decision to strictly implement the guidelines is meant to seek greater scrutiny of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives, who “broke our trust by operating independently in areas where they were supposed to inform us in advance.”
The Foreign Office memo, available with The Express Tribune, makes it mandatory for diplomats and non-diplomats based in Pakistan to provide details of their passport, areas to be visited, complete address of places, duration of stay, exact purpose of visit, place of stay and names of their hosts to obtain a No-Objection Certificate.
The move led to several incidents in which US diplomats were barred from entering Peshawar for not having an NOC. In one such incident, even US Ambassador Cameron Munter was briefly stopped at the Islamabad airport.
But Foreign Office officials have now acknowledged that the existing protocol for movement of diplomats in Pakistan is not practised in any other country.
They also conceded that, under the Vienna Convention, diplomats are allowed to move in any part of the country.
“Diplomats are our guests so we have to facilitate them,” said a foreign ministry official familiar with the issue.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the Foreign Office was currently “re-examining” its protocol to make sure that diplomats are facilitated in the best
possible manner.
Amendments being contemplated by the authorities include exempting heads of missions from obtaining an NOC for travel.
But changes are yet to be finalised due to reservations by the country’s security agencies, which are adamant that the NOC requirement must be followed to ensure national security.
“Only the US embassy is opposing these guidelines … other missions have no issues and are, in fact, following the procedure,” said a security official, requesting anonymity.
A US embassy spokesperson said that they are working with Pakistani authorities to resolve the issue.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2011.
COMMENTS (10)
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Petty restrictions only serve to damage relations -- they don't do squat as far as impeding intelligence activities - it's a childlike response by Pakistan trying to portrait itself as a powerful country to it's people - it has no legitimate upside. . Rather than focusing on how the USA found OBL -- why not focus on why Pakistan allowed him sanctuary? . Lastly -- how's that OBL investigation coming --- what was once the daily discussion has dropped off the radar -- just more anecdotal evidence that Pakistan isn't serious about terrorism.
@pakpinoy: and hey somalia is not that bad... you can do whatever you want there...suits us
@pakpinoy: Just reading the responses gives the whole world a fairly good idea why Pakistan is doomed. When there is no sense in the educated lot of the country on what actually are the ills of our country how do you expect the less educated actually see the reality. The interesting bit is they will keep moaning and they will continue their slide to abyss.. Things will change. I am sure we will be soon joining ranks of Somalia.
@Ishrat Salim:
Why are you so concerned even if there are "many" CIA agents as you seem to so expertly be aware of?!?
It is obvious that the gesture, along with strong reactions by persons such as yourself, is nothing but empty ghairut and pride. NO other country practices this! Did you hear?? NO OTHER COUNTRY PLACES SUCH RESTRICTIONS!
You should be ashamed of your own govt for behaving like offended children. But the problem is most of you are behaving the same way. You are far more concerned with CIA agents LOOKING for terrorists than you are for FINDING the terrorists crawling all over your land!!!
WAKE UP!!!!
@ Mirza sb....pls compare the internal security between Pakistan & American cities.....it has been proved without an iota of doubt that there are more CIA operatives then diplomats in our country & to prove this point....Raymond was exposed....pls compare the intensity of bombings & suicide attacks before Raymond & May 2011 - after which the Americans withdrew many of their operatives & the arrest of many local connections by our secirity agencies....& TODAY....open your mind & analyse it....the abduction of American ( this guy was living in our countryt for the past 5 years & not registered with his consulate nor our FO & security agencies - so what does this means ) from Lahore is also one ring of the chain & there are more than 50 such Americans whose names hv been exposed by the agency through the media who came here but not registered with their consulates & FO & our security agencies nor there are any record of their EXIT from any airport in our country...& TODAY the American embassy has suddenly woke up after the reported kidnapping of this guy from Lahore...?? hence, restricting & monitoring their movements is essential due to our peculiar security situation...
Please save this link as a witness. Pakistanis would do the right thing after they have tried everything else and all the empty talk. In fact they would do exactly what the US has allowed the Pakistanis in the USA. These relationships are on reciprocal basis and if Pakistani diplomats and citizens can travel in the US, so would the US citizens and diplomats in Pakistan. It is fair and based upon equality and diplomatic protocols. USA is not a banana republic to be kept at a lower level than the Pakistanis enjoying in the US.
I think US should also restrict the diplomats in Washington.
All these "CIA agents" are on visa, and if these security agencies were really concerned about espionage, they could cancel the visas.
This harassments of diplomats has more to do with ISI humiliation due to May 2nd raid than counter-espionage.
@abdullah: You will have more peace if you restrict the movement of your "intelligence" agency.
v can only have peace by restricting the movements of these american diplomats ....