October 04, 2008	Saturday	Shawwal 04, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Oct 3: The United Nations and Britain have ordered evacuation of the children of their international staff from the federal capital.

The UN raised the security threat level for the capital and several other cities after taking into consideration recent security incidents, including the bombing of the Marriot Hotel, and potential risks to international staff and their dependents.

“After a careful assessment of the security situation in the country and implications for the United Nations in Pakistan, the secretary-general has approved a change to security phase III,” said a statement.

The threat level was raised for Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Zhob, Chaman, Chagai, Qilla Saifullah, Pishin, Sibi, Kohlu and Dera Bugti. Peshawar and some other areas of the NWFP were already at Level 3.

The international staff will no longer be allowed to live in these cities with their children.“The children, and possibly the spouses, of the international staff are advised to be relocated for an interim period,” the statement said.

The decision allows the international staff to relocate their children to Karachi or Lahore.About 100 international staffers are working with 18 UN agencies in the country.

A spokesperson for the UN, Amna Kemal, played down fears that some international staffers might leave with their children, emphasising that the decision would have little impact on the organisation’s functioning.

“The UN will strive to minimise any adverse effects of phase III security measures on the scope and efficacy of its programmes,” the statement said.

Ms Kemal said the relocation was a temporary measure, “the UN shall keep reviewing the security situation in the country and shall revert to security phase II as and when the situation improves”.

Britain has also asked its diplomats to send their children home from Pakistan.

“Following a security review by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it has been decided that the children of British staff based at the high commission in Islamabad will have to leave,” a source said.

More than 60 children would be evacuated, the source said, adding that the diplomats had also been given the choice of sending their spouses back. Most of the children being sent back are under eight years of age.

Pakistan is already a non-family posting for US and Canadian diplomats.

Meanwhile, the British High Commission announced on Friday that its visa application centre in Karachi would open on Oct 8.“Following a review of security at the UK visa application centres, the British high commission is pleased to announce that Gerry’s International are reopening the Karachi centre on Oct 8 and aiming to reopen the Lahore centre on Oct 13,” a statement said.

The centres in Islamabad and Mirpur will remain closed.

The application centres had been closed after the Marriott Hotel blast.