It's every country's sovereign right to decide its immigration policy: Pak on Trump ban

Reacting to the Muslim ban in the U.S. for the first time, Pakistan has said it is every country's sovereign right to regulate its immigration policy and decide who could enter their territory, but at the same time expressed concern that this move could become a propaganda opportunity for extremists.

"It is every country's sovereign right to decide its immigration policy," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said on Thursday at his weekly media briefing.

The spokesman, however, asked the US administration to consider "humanitarian and political dimensions" of the decision, reports the Dawn.

Meanwhile, Trump's decision to indefinitely bar the Syrian refugees from entering the country, suspend all refugee admissions for 120 days and block citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries namely Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the United States for 90 days has been widely condemned.

It is facing legal challenge within the United States and experts believe that it also contravenes international law.

"Countries would be well advised to adopt policies that are not susceptible to be exploited as propaganda tools by entities wishing to see cracks in the coalition against extremism and terrorism along religious lines," said Zakaria.

The spokesman also underscored the importance that Pakistan attached to its relations with the U.S.

"Pakistan and the US have longstanding and cooperative relations in diverse fields and we look forward to further strengthen these ties," he said.