Amendments have been made by the United States department for the travel advisory for Pakistan. It has been updated from “Don’t Travel” to “Avoid Unnecessary Travel”.
Pakistan has been upgraded from Level Four to Level Three. It may not look like a huge change but it is, for sure, an important one.
This modification was made due to an improvement in the security system of Pakistan since 2014. The army of Pakistan and the security forces have played a significant role in combatting terrorists and violent attacks. The capital city of the state, Islamabad, has a better security situation and active forces in comparison with other cities. Terrorism-related attacks are rare to occur in the capital of the country and hence, flexibility in the orders.
The notification released by the US government refers to the citizens to stay extra cautious while traveling to Pakistan. It specifically stated that they “reconsider their travel to Pakistan due to terrorism and sectarian violence” as well as make them aware of the Covid-19 situation as “the threat has increased in some areas”, says the State Department.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has considered the situation of Covid-19. The Covid situation in Pakistan is a “moderate level” and so a level to Health Notice for traveling into Pakistan. Moreover, one needs to have a US-approved vaccine for traveling which would prevent them from contracting the virus.
In addition to this, the government of The States has asked the citizens to refrain from traveling to the provinces of KPK, Baluchistan, and FATA due to the danger of kidnappings and terrorism. It is also recommended that the citizens avoid traveling to the LoC or its nearby areas. The State Department has limited resources in Pakistan to provide help to the citizens of The State in an emergency. The amendments in the US advisory took place after the visits of General Faiz Hameed, Director of ISI, and National Security Advisor Moeed Yousaf. Yet, it is early to say if the revisions were due to these visits or the current situation in Afghanistan, which is concerning for the region.
