Issuing travel advisory for its citizens in Pakistan, the US government has ordered to temporarily shut its consulate in Peshawar owing to serious security concerns and extended the ‘temporary closure’ of its Lahore mission for consular services, according to media reports earlier today.
The advisory stated that militants are targeting national and foreign facilities in Pakistan as they already had hit citizens, military installations and airport.
The State Department’s advisory warned the US citizens and other Westerners living currently in Pakistan to limit the frequency and duration of their visits to public places including markets and restaurants.
The US government also was apprehensive of its citizens to be abducted for ransom by the extremists; hence, it impressed upon its citizens to defer all non-essential trip to the country as the local and foreign militant groups pose serious threat to the US citizens.
Acknowledging the measures being taken up by Pakistani government for fool-proof security arrangements, the advisory stated that the protest demos against the US may turn violent; accordingly, all the US citizens should avoid the venues of protest and other crowded places.
It should be mentioned here that that six months ago, the US ordered to evacuate all non-essential staff from its Lahore consulate owing to ‘renovation’ and terror threats.
