Bilateral removal of restrictions on Pak, US diplomats hailed

Islamabad, Aug 13 (IANS) US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Ambassador Alice Wells has welcomed the bilateral move by Islamabad and Washington to remove travel and restrictions on each others diplomats, the media reported on Tuesday.

"Pleased to see that both Pakistan and the US removed travel controls and other measures inhibiting the work of one another's diplomats," she was quoted by the US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) in a tweet on Monday.

"We're both committed to a renewed effort to help our diplomatic missions work more effectively to strengthen the ties between our nations," it added.

On August 7, the State Department had announced that it removed travel restrictions placed on Pakistani diplomats based in the US, reports The Express Tribune.

It further said the government of Pakistan has also reciprocated with a similar measure in relation to its diplomatic personnel assigned to its Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan.

The decision came after Wells held crucial talks with Pakistan's civil and military leadership in Islamabad last week.

The announcement also comes after Prime Minister Imran Khan visited the US last month, where he had lengthy meetings with President Trump and other high-level officials and discussed issues of mutual concern.

In May 2018, Islamabad had imposed tit-for-tat restrictions on the US diplomats in the country days after the State Department announced that Pakistani diplomats would only be allowed to move around within the 40 km radius in Washington.