Pakistan has no knowledge of the decision proposed by the American administration of President Donald Trump for having placed a new travel ban on certain countries, which have gaps in verification and screening processes, sources said on Sunday. Reports citing anonymous American officials have said that Afghanistan and Pakistan may appear on the list of countries faced with a partial or complete ban. "We have no such information or any communication with the American administration," said an official, while asking for anonymity. A White House official told CNN, "No decision concerning any travel bans has been made, and anyone who affirms the opposite does not know what they are talking about." Meanwhile, the American State Department had confirmed that it was "undertake a complete examination of all visa programs."
Some sources have said that Pakistan travel ban reports may be a deliberate flight by certain elements, which may not be satisfied with President Trump publicly praising Pakistan in his speech at the US Congress. The latest CNN report said that Afghanistan could appear on the list of countries facing the ban, but there was no mention of Pakistan. He said the ban could arrive next week, but noted that it was not clear if the final decisions on the countries and the timing had been taken. In a decree of January 20, President Trump ordered members of the cabinet, including the Secretary of State, to compile a list of countries "for which the verification and screening information is so deficient that they justify a partial or complete suspension on the admission of nationals of these countries". The decree calls for the completion of the exam within 60 days. "The Department undertakes a complete examination of all visa programs as indicated in this EO and execution on the priorities of the administration," The spokesman said, without giving more details, saying they did it "Do not comment on internal deliberations or communications". During the first mandate, Trump prohibited travelers from seven Muslim majority to come to the United States-a policy that saw judicial disputes before President Joe Biden has repealed it when he took office in 2021. If Afghanistan is included in the new travel ban, he could have an impact on tens of thousands of Afghans, who worked in the United States during his two decades of war because it was going to block Afghan Afghans next to the United States. Meanwhile, the United States Centcom has congratulated Pakistan for helping the United States capture Muhammad Sharifullah, one of the main facilitators of the attack at Kabul airport in August 2021. "We are grateful to Pakistan for his cooperation in the arrest of the main suspect, Sharifullah, because he helped translate the accused into justice in collaboration with the United States," Read a declaration published on X by Centcom.
