US diplomats in Pakistan being treated badly: Pompeo

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that American officials in Pakistan "are not being treated well."

"Our State Department officials are being treated badly as well. Folks working in the embassies and in the consulates and in other places are not being treated well by the Pakistani government either," Secretary Pompeo told US lawmakers, calling it a "real problem" and that "we need to take the measure also."

The State Department on May 11 imposed travel restrictions on Pakistani diplomats stationed at their embassy here. The Pakistani Foreign Office in reaction to those limitations also introduced its own version of restriction regime. Earlier, the department had avoided public comments on these new rules for Pakistani officials. However, Secretary Pompeo yesterday shared the concern and the reason of such diplomatic restrictions. When The News asked the State Department about the secretary's remarks, a spokesperson explained: "It is the responsibility of all host governments to create the conditions necessary to permit the personnel of foreign embassies to carry out their duties. At this time, the harassment faced by American and local US Embassy and Consulate personnel in Pakistan restricts their ability to carry out their mission."

The reply said that the department has also documented numerous cases in which ordinary Pakistani citizens participating in US educational, cultural, and development programmes have faced harassment by Pakistani government officials. "The administration has also put in place travel controls on Pakistani diplomatic personnel assigned to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC, and their dependents," a State Department spokesperson acknowledged these measures officially for the first time, adding that "the controls are intended to encourage Pakistan to stop harassment of US Mission personnel and interference with our public activities, which have risen dramatically in recent months."

Also in his testimony before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Secretary Pompeo said that he worked diligently on the issue of Dr Shakil Afridi in his previous role as the CIA director, but he was unsuccessful in that regard. "Please be aware that it’s at my heart and I know it’s important and we can do that. We can achieve that outcome," he said.

He told the House members that financial assistance to Pakistan was under review as well. "With respect to Pakistan, we released far fewer funds in 2018 than in the year prior. The remainder of the funds available is under review. My guess is that number will be smaller still," he said.

Responding to questions from Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, he said: "These people in Karachi and the Sindhis and the others, they're now facing these people who are killing their leaders or killing their people who believe in certain things that are different than the radical Islamic philosophy of some of the people in the Pakistani government," he alleged.

During his remarks, the secretary once again said that Pakistan should crackdown on terrorist safe havens and instigators of terrorist activities in its territory. "As part of the new South Asia strategy, we have been clear with Pakistan that ensuring reconciliation, peace, and security in Afghanistan in large part depends on Pakistan's willingness to crack down on terrorist safe havens and instigators of terrorist activity in its own country," he said.