US: Pakistan Restricting Movement of Foreigners

Police Bar US Embassy Employees From Peshawar

US officials are claiming an escalation in monitoring of foreign nationals by the Pakistani government, including the restriction of movement inside the country. This has included barring US embassy officials from the city of Peshawar.

Officials have concluded that this is a backlash against the US primarily over Obama Administration policy, but aid organizations are reporting that travel difficulties are affecting their operations too.

As well they might, as the US used the guise of a “vaccination” program in their assassination of Osama bin Laden, and has used consulate employee status as cover for CIA operations, including the infamous incident surrounding Raymond Davis.

This has added suspicion of legitimate consulate employees, of course, but the fake vaccination program has also added to the general distrust of foreigners, even those engaged in humanitarian operations. Efforts to vaccinate in the country could be set back for years by the plot.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.