While Pakistan and the United States remain partners in the peace process in Afghanistan, and delegation-level talks are under way in Islamabad, President Donald Trump’s administration has reportedly imposed new visa sanctions on Pakistan. The sanctions might add Pakistan to a list of 10 countries facing a visa ban. The US action stems from Pakistan’s refusal to accept deportees from the US. Both sides are said to be working to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Islamabad continues to function normally. Its consular operations too are normal. According to media reports, Pakistani officials have said they are “100 per cent committed” to accepting all Pakistani citizens deported from the United States. Deportation from the United States is a new normal. More than 100 Pakistanis have been deported from the country under this administration since Mr Trump was elected into power on an America-for-Americans campaign slogan and took over. Earlier, most deportations to Pakistan were from European and Gulf countries. According to US officials, a total of 318 applicants have faced visa restrictions since 1996. The countries under visa sanctions are Guyana (since 2001), Gambia (since 2016), Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (since 2017); Burma and Laos (since 2018); and Ghana and Pakistan (starting this year). Officials in Islamabad have sought to clarify that the government policy is to accept deportees whose Pakistani citizenship can be proven with proper documentation. Disputes occur when deportees are found to be Afghan refugees who have lived in Pakistan before flying to the US or people of Pakistani origin who have been living in the Middle East for several generations. The sanctions move has underlined the problems involving these two segments of population. Two generations of Afghan refugees, born and raised in Pakistan, face the citizenship problem. Many Pakistani families who have lived in the Gulf countries for decades are also being treated as stateless people. Government leaders in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Gulf appear to be unwilling to discuss the issue with the kind of openness required in a matter of such complexity. Meanwhile, visa restrictions might soon affect some officials in the Interior Ministry. That can prove a huge setback for the country. Both Pakistan and the US try to be tough with each other when it comes to visa regimes. The US has gradually cut down the number of visas for Pakistanis. For its part, Islamabad has chosen not to include US in the list of countries whose citizens are entitled to a visa on arrival. The anomaly speaks volumes about the level of distrust between the two sides. The visa restrictions will test our diplomats hard. Hopefully, the matter will be resolved soon. *