Revising its travel advisory for Pakistan, the United States has advised its citizens to reconsider travelling to the country citing a threat of terrorism. The advisory mentions the “immediate vicinity” of the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control on the Pakistani side due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict, and the restive Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) because of a threat of terror acts.
In its updated travel advisory issued on Tuesday after a periodic review, the US has classified the country under Level 3, which means “reconsider travel”. It is just a step below the final Level 4 category, which is “do not travel”. Level 4 has been applied to the Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA areas as well as the vicinity of the Line of Control.
The advisory noted that Pakistan’s security environment is fluid, “sometimes changing with little or no notice” and violent extremist groups are continuing to plot attacks in the country.
“Large-scale terrorist attacks have resulted in numerous casualties, and small-scale attacks are frequent. Terrorism and ongoing violence by extremist elements have led to indiscriminate attacks on civilian, 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. Terrorists have targeted US diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past,” the advisory said.
“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 and for posting content on social media perceived as critical of the Pakistani government, military, or officials. Internet and mobile phone service outages are common, especially during protests,” it added.
On Balochistan, the advisory said extremist groups have conducted deadly terrorist attacks while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, it said, has seen terrorist and insurgent groups targeting government officials and civilians.
“Assassination and kidnapping attempts are common, including the targeting of polio eradication teams and Government of Pakistan security service (police and military) personnel,” the advisory said of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the former FATA.
About the vicinity of the Line of Control on the Pakistani side, the advisory said militant groups are known to operate in the area and India and Pakistan maintain a strong military presence on both sides of the border.