FO rejects media reports about US visa sanctions

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the media reports about US visa sanctions on Pakistan, the Foreign Office (FO) here on Sunday said, “The insinuations made in the media reports are misleading.”

 In a statement, the FO said that they saw the media reports about a US Federal Registry notification on “introduction of new rules” on consular matters and clarified that there were ongoing discussions between Pakistan and the US on consular matters including repatriation issues.

Both countries were working bilaterally on these issues consistent with their respective laws and had made considerable progress, read the statement.

The Foreign Office further said, “We understand that the US government would continue the normal consular operations at their Embassy in Islamabad and that the ongoing discussions do not affect issuance of visas to routine Pakistani applicants.”

It is pertinent to mention here that such reports were circulating on foreign and social media since morning that US imposed visa sanctions on Pakistan after Islamabad refused to take back its citizen deportees.

Read More: Visa duration for Pakistanis reduced to three months: US Embassy

Earlier, Visa duration for Pakistani citizens had been reduced to three months from five years, US Embassy spokesperson had said on March 5.

The announcement would also be applicable to the Pakistani journalists who would be issued visas for three months. The US government had also increased visa application fees for Pakistanis up to $192 from $160.

According to the US Embassy spokesperson, the move was made in response to modification of visa policy and fees by the Pakistani government.