The federal government has finally addressed reports of a travel ban on Pakistani citizens by the United States, with a cabinet member saying that only people linked to banned organisations are likely to be affected.

State Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel told a TV interview on Sunday that there are no plans for an outright ban on Pakistani citizens travelling to the US.

““I do not believe there will be any blanket ban or restriction on Pakistani nationals travelling to the US,” he told Dawn News.

However, he added that the government is updating its list of banned organisations and the State Department is likely to do the same. Then, Aqeel said, only people affiliated with the proscribed organisations will face travel bans or could even have their visas revoked.

Ambassador Rizwan Sheikh has confirmed that he has seen reports of the ban but nothing is official yet. The Pakistani embassy in the US has reached out to the State Department regarding the reports of the ban but has not received any confirmations so far.

Reports had emerged earlier this month about the US cabinet has invited proposals to ban travellers from countries which do not have adequate vetting mechanisms for visas. The decision was taken to enhance security monitoring of people entering the US. While a list of countries has not been finalised, Reuters had claimed that Pakistan and Afghanistan were likely to be on the list.

The Trump administration in 2018 had imposed a ban on travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries. However, the ban was eventually repealed by President Joe Biden in 2021.