ISLAMABAD, Sept 13: The Pakistan government on Monday warned its citizens not to travel to Iraq without a valid visa and until the security situation there improves.

"The government of Pakistan would like to reiterate its earlier advisories on travel to Iraq. Pakistani citizens are strongly advised not to travel to Iraq until conditions improve there," foreign office spokesman Masood Khan told his weekly news briefing.

"Similarly, intending pilgrims should defer travel until the situation returns to normal," he said. Referring to the interim Iraqi government's recent announcement that visitors from foreign countries would not be allowed to enter the country without valid visas, the spokesman also cautioned that no Pakistani citizen should travel to Iraq without a visa.

He said the Pakistan's mission in Baghdad had informed Islamabad that despite Iraqi government's announcement some Pakistanis continued to travel to Iraq without visas.

He said that during the last couple of weeks four cases of arrest and imprisonment of Pakistanis, attempting to enter the country without valid visas, had been reported.