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This is an archive article published on April 6, 2011
No Pak exit for US military personnel
The US personnel have been barred from leaving Pakistan because of expired visas.
Written by Press Trust Of India
Islamabad | April 6, 2011 03:38 AM IST
2 min read
2 min read
Close on the heels of a spat over a CIA contractor who gunned down two men in Lahore,another diplomatic row is brewing between Pakistan and the US after Islamabad barred US military personnel from leaving the country.
The US personnel have been barred from leaving Pakistan because of expired visas and other documentary irregularities,the Dawn newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying. There are varying claims about the number of US soldiers denied exit. Some sources claimed about 20 to 30 people had been affected while others put the figure at slightly less than 100.
The personnel were assigned to the US Office of Defence Representative in Pakistan (ODRP),which oversees bilateral military relations,including training and equipment. Some of the personnel overstayed their visas while a majority of them had expired no-objection certificates (NOCs).
The issue has been discussed by Pakistans Foreign Office and the US embassy but a resolution is nowhere in sight,the report said.
The Foreign Office was tight-lipped on the issue because of the sensitive nature of the matter. A US military spokesman admitted that there were problems. ODRP and the embassy have been in discussions with Pakistani authorities over visa renewals. We hope to be able to work through this issue, he said.
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