During his first term as President of the United States, Donald Trump imposed a blanket travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries in 2017: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Now, reports suggest that Trump may soon reverse Joe Biden’s decision to lift the travel ban. Interestingly, the first Muslim-majority nation expected to face the brunt this time could be the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Ironically, Trump’s reported decision to impose a travel ban on Pakistan could come in action days after the Republican President had praised Islamabad for its so-called cooperation in a counterterrorism operation.
During his joint address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump had thanked Islamabad’s cooperation in the arrest of Taliban terrorist Mohammad Sharifullah. The US blames him for a 2021 attack on American troops at Kabul airport.
Trump said, “And I want to especially thank the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster. This was a very momentous day for those 13 families, most of whom I actually got to know very well, whose children were murdered, and for the many people who were so badly injured on that fateful day in Afghanistan.”
According to News agency Reuters, US officials said that the Trump administration is set to announce a new travel ban that could restrict entry for Pakistani nationals into the United States.
Apart from Pakistan, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan could be the other country to face the first phase of Trump’s travel ban policy in his new tenure. As per reports, the travel ban on Pakistan and Afghanistan has been initiated based on a government review of countries’ security and vetting risks. It could come into effect as soon as next week.
Also Read: Analysing Impact of Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs on India
Earlier, on the very first day of assuming office on 20th January 2025, Donald Trump issued an executive order that requires intensified security checks of all foreigners who seek entry to the US. This security check ensures that the immigrant doesn’t pose a threat to the US’ national security.
With the deadline of 12th March, Trump directed his cabinet to submit a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient”. Just like Trump 1.0 travel ban policy, not only Pakistan and Afghanistan, several other countries could also find a mention on Trump’s negative travel list.
