Pakistan said to be holding up US visas
Expanding U.S. presence may be adding to tension
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan has held up visas for U.S. diplomats, military service members and others, apparently because of hostility within the country toward the expansion of U.S. operations in Pakistan, a senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday.
American diplomats have also been stopped repeatedly at Pakistani checkpoints as part of what U.S. officials say is a wider focus on foreigners working in Pakistan. U.S. cars are searched, although diplomats are told to open the trunk but to refuse access to the passenger compartment.
The visa holdup is the latest tangible sign of the volatility of official U.S.-Pakistani relations. The two nations have an improving military relationship but mistrust and suspicion still shadow many government interactions, including U.S. attempts to help Pakistan.
The visa clampdown seems to be a reaction to widespread anti-American sentiment, even though many of the affected workers would be doing jobs that bring aid and other help to Pakistan.
The senior U.S. official said the U.S. does not plan to do more than press Pakistani authorities to relent. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive interaction between the two countries.
The U.S. Embassy already is large and expanding, with plans to go from about 500 employees to more than 800 over the next 18 months. Most of the growth is related to the expansion of U.S. aid to Pakistan, some of which comes with requirements for accounting and oversight that have rankled Pakistanis.