Diplomatic tensions and severing of ties between Pakistan and the United States of America (USA) are a common occurrence of the Trump regime. The recent controversy to plague the relations is the restriction of the movement of Pakistani diplomats in the US. This news comes to the forefront right after Pakistan decides to take US diplomat to trial for causing the death of a civilian. Although the US claims no relation between the decision and the restriction, many feel that the two might be correlated. The argument is fair considering the tendency of the US to punish countries not aligning with their stance completely.

Although Pakistan has indicated it will restrict the movement of the US diplomats in the country the confusion around the reason of the restriction is spreading misinformation on both sides. What is even more bothersome is the fact that if the two incidents are not correlated, the restriction in the movement of diplomats represents a deeper issue affecting the ties of both countries. An issue so fundamental, which is resulting in such measures, should be addressed as soon as possible to ensure smooth relations between the two countries.

The US also, in this situation, claims that there is an inherent visa issue for US diplomats in Pakistan causing the problem. If mere visa issues are resulting in the severing of ties, both countries need to get together and work out a feasible plan which will work for both countries in the situation. Restricting diplomats and engaging in tit for tat diplomacy will further affect the ties.

At this point, authorities of both the countries need to realise that a larger Pakistani and US population inhabits both countries respectively. For them to conveniently lead their lives, the mobility of their diplomats is extremely important. At the same time, there are larger issues surrounding both the countries which require more attention and cooperation. The US especially needs to rethink its strategy in terms of Pakistan. Instead of playing victim and blaming Pakistan, as a global superpower they have the responsibility of finding workable frameworks. That should be the priority of the time instead of the policy of diplomatic isolation.