The U.S. State Department and Pakistan's embassy in Washington are declining to confirm reports that Pakistani diplomats will soon be subjected to new travel restrictions.
Pakistani and Indian media are reporting that the Trump administration has notified Pakistani authorities that diplomats at the country's U.S. embassy and consulates will not be able to travel more than 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) from their posts without permission. The reports indicate the measures are expected to take effect in May.
Pakistan's embassy in Washington told VOA on Tuesday that it had received no information about such restrictions. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert also told a news briefing Tuesday that she had no information to share on the topic. The White House has not yet responded to inquiries about the reported policy change.
The reports came amid heightened tensions between Islamabad in Washington over the war in Afghanistan and long-standing U.S. concerns about the Pakistani military's ties to the Taliban and other militant groups.
Last week, a U.S. defense attache at the U.S. mission in Islamabad was involved in a traffic accident that killed a motorcyclist. Pakistani authorities have pressed for the attache, Colonel Joseph Emanuel Hall, to stand trial. The U.S. Embassy has said it is cooperating in the probe.
VOA's Urdu service contributed to this report.
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