US policies towards Pakistan will not change, says Jillani

WASHINGTON: Outgoing Pakistani Ambassador to United States Jalil Abbas Jillani has said that foreign policy of US towards Pakistan will not change, ARY News reported.

Jillani was addressing a farewell lunch giving in his honor here in Washington.

The government of Pakistan had appointed Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry as Pakistan’s new ambassador to the United States in December last year.

The Pakistani envoy has said that Pak-US relations have always remained strong.

He said his successor Aizaz Chaudhry is a highly capable person and will perform his duties even better to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Jillani urged the US nationals of Pakistani origin to play their role in improving the image of Pakistan in the United States.

Ever since the new US President Donald Trump was elected to the White House, the people of Pakistan are in doubt whether the new US government will change its foreign policy towards the South Asian country.

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus had earlier said that the travel ban – imposed on seven Muslim majority countries i.e. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen —  may be extended to the countries like Pakistan.

However, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Islamabad has clarified that there was no ban enforced on issuance of visa to citizens of Pakistan.

She said that there were no restrictions imposed on Pakistan and the embassy was accepting applications and issuing visas as per necessary rules and procedures.

The spokesperson also said that it was unlikely that the US would sanction Pakistan citizens from entering the US, or suspend the issuance of visas.