Pakistan lawmakers threaten to boycott Americans after US denies visa to Senate Deputy Chairman
Islamabad: After Pakistan's Senate Deputy Chairman and pioneer of one of the biggest Islamic gatherings was denied a US visa, Pakistani legislators have debilitated to blacklist their American partners.
On Sunday, Pakistan Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani reported a blacklist of the UN-supported Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) being held in New York on February 13 and 14, after the US neglected to issue a visa to his representative, who was to speak to Pakistan at the discussion.
Rabbani has issued orders to his secretariat not to engage any US appointment or ambassador till the issue was settled.
"No designation, individual from Congress or negotiator of the US will be invited by the Senate of Pakistan, Senate Standing Committees and the representatives in their official limit till this issue is settled," Rabbani said in an announcement issued to media.
Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the agent executive and the secretary-general of Jamiatul-Ulema-e-Islam (F) (JUI-F), was booked to lead a two-part Senate appointment at IPU meeting.
"The visa of Haideri was put on hold in what can be named a specialized refusal," the Express Tribune revealed, citing its sources.
Congressperson Lt Gen (retd) Salahuddin Tirmizi - who was to go with Haideri - was allowed a visa only two days prior.
The visit of the two legislators has now been scratched off on the bearing of the Pakistan Senate Chairman.
The move comes days after a US court declined to restore President Donald Trump's prohibition on individuals from seven Muslim-larger part nations, which did exclude Pakistan.
Trump marked an official request a month ago banning subjects from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for 90 days, satisfying one of his battle guarantees.
Refering to authority sources, the paper said the Senate Secretariat had connected for authority visas for them two weeks back.
"They said when the Senate Secretariat checked with the US Embassy about the status of Haideri's international ID through authority channels, it was informed that the US experts would hit it up by Tuesday, unmistakably implying that Haideri couldn't go to the US to go to the IPU meeting," it said.
"It is a specialized refusal," a top Senate official said.
(With Agency inputs)