Washington, August 2 (ANI): The United States has said it is making progress towards pressing Pakistan to lift curbs imposed on its diplomats travelling in the country.
"There was an incident last week, I believe, where diplomats were prevented from travelling between Islamabad and Peshawar," the Dawn quoted State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner, as saying.
"We obviously raised our concerns. We feel that we're making progress towards...resolving the issue," he added.
He said though US diplomats were later able to travel between Islamabad and Peshawar with a certificate, the envoys should be allowed to travel freely in line with the Vienna Convention.
"We're working cooperatively with the government of Pakistan to resolve the issue," Toner said.
Toner also said the Pakistani authorities asked the US ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, to produce a certificate of travel permission before boarding a plane to Karachi.
Though Munter did not have one, he was allowed to travel, Toner said, without specifying whether it amounted to a diplomatic incident.
Toner declined to rule out US authorities imposing travel restrictions on Pakistani diplomats travelling within the United States.
"Speaking hypothetically or theoretically, reciprocity is always a consideration," he said.
A diplomatic source said that a letter sent to the US embassy in Islamabad increased limitations on when and how diplomats can move outside the Pakistan capital.
Pakistan is seen as a key ally of the US in its fight against militancy, but relations have soured since US troops killed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in the May 2 Abbottabad raid. (ANI)
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