Islamabad: Pakistan has barred US senators and Congressmen from visiting the Pakistan senate after deputy chairman Abdul Ghafoor Haideri was not granted a visa in time to attend a UN-sponsored event in New York.
Pakistan Senate adopted some exceptionally tough counter measures against the US after the incident. Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani asked the US government and US embassy in Pakistan to explain the reasons for the inordinate visa delay.
Mr Rabbani cancelled all official visits of the Senate members to the US and barred all US officials from visiting the Senate of Pakistan, making it clear that the bar would not be lifted until a satisfactory explanation is provided on the matter.
“No delegation, member of Congress or diplomats of the US will be welcomed by the Senate of Pakistan, Senate’s standing committees and the senators in their official capacity till this issue is resolved,” a statement issued by the Pakistan Senate said.
The Senate would also take up this matter for debate when it meets here on Monday as the President has summoned the House session.
Senate deputy chairman was scheduled to travel to the United States as part of a two-member delegation. The delegation, comprising Haideri and Lt. General Salahuddin Tirmizi (retd), was to attend Inter Parliamentary (IPU) Hearings at UN Headquarters in New York on February 13. The visit has been cancelled now. Mr Haidri, who is also secretary general of Jamiat Ulema Islam (Fazal), was scheduled to leave for New York on February 10.
Mr Rabbani’s tough reaction coincides with a US federal appeals court’s judgment refusing to reinstate President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations, which did not include Pakistan.
