Gilani wants review of new US rules to screen Pak travellers
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday asked the US to review new rules introduced by it to screen air travellers from Pakistan, warning that the "discriminatory" measures could "negatively impact bilateral ties".
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday asked the US to review new rules introduced by it to screen air travellers from Pakistan, warning that the "discriminatory" measures could "negatively impact bilateral ties".
Gilani expressed concern over the issue during a meeting with a visiting US Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain.
Pakistan is among 14 countries whose nationals are subject to tougher screening rules introduced by the US after a Nigerian man tried to set off a bomb on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit last month.
The premier "expressed his serious reservations on the new security measures introduced by the US government for screening Pakistani nationals...and termed them as discriminatory" said a statement issued by Gilani's office.
Noting that such policies cause "consternation and anxiety among the people of Pakistan", he said, "Their continuity can negatively impact bilateral ties".
Gilani urged the US administration to "revisit this policy and asked for the immediate removal of Pakistan from the list of the countries affected by it".
He also took up several issues that have strained relations between Pakistan and the US, including continuing attacks by American drones in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan and delays in reimbursing Islamabad's expenses on the war against terror.