US urges citizens to ''reconsider travel'' to Pakistan
US urges citizens to ''reconsider travel'' to Pakistan
The United States on Wednesday unveiled a way to warn its citizens about the dangers of foreign travel, with a four-point safety ranking system for countries and an interactive world map. The new travel system ranks Pakistan on Level 3 titled as “Reconsider Travel”.
According to the US State Department’s website, American citizens should “reconsider travel to Pakistan due to terrorism. Some areas have increased risk.”
The travel advisory further points out high-risk areas in the country that citizens should avoid. “Do not travel to Balochistan province, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) due to terrorism,” states the website.
It further says travel to Azad Kashmir area should also not be undertaken “due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict.”
“Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Pakistan. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, military and government installations, airports, universities, tourist locations, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and local government facilities.
“Over the past six months, there have been at least 40 significant terrorist attacks across Pakistan, resulting in over 225 deaths and 475 wounded, most of which occurred in Balochistan, K-P, and Fata. In the past, there have been large-scale terrorist attacks resulting in hundreds of casualties,” reads the travel advisory.
The advisory further states that travel by US government personnel within Pakistan is restricted, and additional restrictions on movements by US government personnel outside of US diplomatic facilities may be put in place at any time, depending on local circumstances and security conditions.
“Terrorists have targeted US diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past, and evidence suggests they continue to do so,” says the State Department.
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