The US State Department said it had ordered non-emergency personnel from US consulates in the cities of Karachi and Lahore and their families to leave Pakistan due to security concerns.

“The Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and the family members of US government personnel from US Consulates Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to safety risks,” the US embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.

It said there was no change to the status of its embassy in the capital Islamabad.