US urges citizens to reconsider travelling to Pak due to terrorism

Washington, February 14

The US has urged its citizens to reconsider their travel to Pakistan mainly due to terrorism and risks to civil aviation operating within or near the country.

The Federal Aviation Administration, in a notice issued on Wednesday, said terrorist groups continued plotting possible attacks in Pakistan.

“Reconsider travel to Pakistan due to terrorism,” the State Department said in a latest travel advisory.

It asked Americans not to travel to Balochistan province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), due to terrorism, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir area due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict.

Terrorist groups continued plotting possible attacks in Pakistan, it said, adding that terrorists might attack with little or no warning, targeting transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, tourist locations, schools, hospitals, places of worship and government facilities.

Noting that terrorist attacks continued to happen across Pakistan, with most occurring in Balochistan and KPK, including the former FATA, the State Department said large-scale terrorist attacks had resulted in hundreds of casualties over the last several years.

India and Pakistan maintain a strong military presence on both sides of the border. The only official Pakistan-India border crossing point for people who are not citizens of India or Pakistan is in the province of Punjab between Wagah, Pakistan, and Attari, India, the advisory said.

Urging its citizens not to travel to PoK, the State Department said militant groups are known to operate in the area.

“The threat of armed conflict between India and Pakistan remains. Indian and Pakistani military forces periodically exchange fire across the Line of Control,” it added. PTI