Harassing Americans will hurt Pakistan: Haqqani

LAHORE: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani has written to the foreign secretary and chief of the ISI, warning them that harassing Americans or denying them visas hurts the country’s image and can have severe consequences, CNN-IBN reported on Saturday. According to the channel, Haqqani’s letter, dated July 28, 2009, reveals that Pakistan has a blacklist of US journalists and non-government organisations (NGO) that are critical of Islamabad. The ambassador has warned that Pakistan risked hearings in the US Congress and potential restrictions on aid and military sales if US citizens were harassed or intimidated. The letter mentioned instances where US institutions or journalists were denied visas, harassed or put under surveillance. Haqqani has demanded explanations for these actions and a copy of the blacklist. Seperately, a spokesman for the Pakistan embassy in the US has refused to comment on Haqqani’s letter, calling it a ‘national secret’. daily times monitor

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