The US State Department has reviewed its travel advisory for Pakistan, upgrading it from ‘Don’t Travel’ to ‘Avoid Unnecessary Travel’.
The review is actually a progression from ‘Level Four’ to ‘Level Three’, and although not a major change, it’s still a significant improvement.
According to the latest Travel Advisory, Pakistani security forces conducted effective counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, and since 2014, Pakistan’s security environment has improved.
It said major cities, especially Islamabad, have more security resources and infrastructure and the forces in these areas may be more active in responding to emergencies than in other parts of the country.
The review advisory pointed out that although threats still exist, terrorist attacks in Islamabad are rare.
The notification urges US citizens to “reconsider their travel to Pakistan due to terrorism and sectarian violence”, but recommends extra caution due to COVID-19 as “the threat has increased in some areas.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice for Pakistan, indicating a moderate level of COVID-19 in the country.
It was added that if you get a vaccine approved in the United States, the risk of contracting COVID-19 may be reduced.
The State Department urged US citizens not to travel to the former FATA, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions because of terrorism and kidnappings.
The advisory also advised not to travel in the vicinity of the Line of Control (LoC) due to the possibility of terrorism and armed conflict.
The advisory reassured US citizens that the US government has limited capacity to provide emergency services due to the security environment in Pakistan and that the U.S. government officials have limited travel within the country. They stated that the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar does not provide services for U.S. citizens.
It may be assumed that change in US advisory comes at a time when Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yousaf and ISI Director-General Faiz Hameed have completed their visit to the United States, but it is too early to be certain that their visit is related to this progress.
Their meetings focused primarily on the political changes taking place in Afghanistan, with US officials seeking Pakistan’s cooperation in preventing the Taliban’s occupation of Kabul.
Pakistan not only assured Washington that it would not support the forced occupation but also urged the Afghan government not to seek military victory.
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