Islamabad/Washington: The US State Department has urged American citizens planning to travel to Pakistan to reconsider their plans, citing security concerns, local media in Pakistan reported on Thursday.
In its latest advisory, the department advised travellers to think twice before visiting Pakistan due to crime, civil unrest, terrorism, and the risk of kidnapping.
“Pakistan has been placed under a Level 3 advisory, a category that indicates a high risk where terrorist attacks may occur without warning. According to the State Department, typical targets include transportation hubs, hotels, markets, shopping malls, military and security sites, airports, trains, schools, hospitals, places of worship, tourist locations, and government buildings,” reported leading Pakistani daily Dawn.
Some regions, including parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been designated Level 4: Do Not Travel areas.
The advisory urges US citizens not to travel to Level 4 areas “for any reason”, warning that assassination and kidnapping attempts are common, particularly against government officials and private citizens. The warning also applies to US citizens of Pakistani origin, the newspaper reported.
“Do Not Travel to: Balochistan Province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), due to terrorism and kidnapping,” the US advisory added mentioning further that “Violent extremist groups have carried out attacks in Pakistan. Terrorist attacks typically happen in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the former FATA, but they have also occurred in major cities such as Karachi and Islamabad”.
The US State Department detailed that local law prohibits protesting or demonstrating without a permit.
“Being near a protest can draw scrutiny from Pakistani security forces. US citizens have been detained for participating in protests. You can also face detention for posting content on social media viewed as critical of the Pakistani government, military, or officials,” it stated.
Earlier this month, a US State Department spokesperson announced that the Trump administration is suspending processing for immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, beginning January 21. This will impact applicants from certain countries in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America, the Balkan regions, and South Asia, with Pakistan and Bangladesh included in the list.
Reacting to the announcement of US visa curbs, Pakistan’s Foreign Office reportedly expressed hope that the suspension is temporary, with possible resumption in usual processing in the near future. Until then, the backlog of applications is expected to grow, with approvals delayed despite historically strong demand.
(IANS)
