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KARACHI: The US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, has said that American citizens should reconsider travelling to Pakistan “due toterrorism and the potential for armed conflict”, Dawn.com reported.
According to a State Department’s periodic review updated on March 7, US citizens should reconsider their travelling to Pakistan as terrorism and potential for armed conflict were prevalent in the country.
“Some areas have increased risk,” the review said.
It advised citizens not to travel to Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the merged tribal districts — formerly Federally Administered Tribal Areas — due to terrorism.
It further asked citizens to refrain from travelling to the immediate vicinity of the India-Pakistan border as well as the Line of Control.
According to the country summary on the website, the State Department said violent extremist groups continued to plot attacks, adding that attacks were frequent in Balochistan and KP.
While citing different scales of terrorist attacks in the region, the review said “terrorism and ongoing violence by extremist elements have led to indiscriminate attacks on civilians, as well as local military and police targets”.
“Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, tourist attractions, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and government facilities,” it said, adding that terrorists had targeted US diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past.
It said the local government had restricted the travel of US government personnel working in Pakistan, stating that the US had limited ability to provide services to US citizens in KP, Balochistan, and most areas outside of Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.
“Due to the risks, US government personnel working in Pakistan must obtain special authorisation to travel to most areas outside of Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi,” it said.
“The US Embassy and Consulates require US government personnel to use armed escorts and armoured vehicles when travelling in certain parts of the country, both for official and personal travel,” it read, adding that restrictions on movements could occur, depending on local circumstances and security conditions.
“US government personnel on assignment in Pakistan are prohibited from attending most large gatherings,” it said.
The review also said that the US embassy and consulates had “limited ability to provide consular services to dual US-Pakistani citizens who have been arrested or detained”.
“Pakistani law considers such individuals to be exclusively citizens of Pakistan,” it said.
Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2025
