United States Embassy in Islamabad issues security advisory

ISLAMABAD: The United States Embassy in Islamabad has issued a heightened security advisory for US citizens and nationals in Pakistan because of rising unrest that followed violent protests near the US consulate in Karachi.

The embassy issued a warning about continuing protests, which are taking place in multiple cities, and it advised Americans to maintain safety through better monitoring of their surroundings.

The mission confirmed through an official statement, which it posted on X (formerly Twitter), that it was monitoring reports about ongoing demonstrations that were happening at the US consulates general in Karachi and Lahore, as well as at the US embassy in Islamabad and the US consulate in Peshawar.

The alert advised US citizens to stay watchful, while they should stay away from big crowds and public areas, and they should maintain their STEP registration through the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive notifications.

All visa appointments and American Citizen Services, which were supposed to happen on March 2 at US embassy locations in Pakistan, were canceled by the US embassy because of the current unrest that had emerged.

The embassy issued a request to applicants, which asked them to check official embassy channels for news about when their appointments would be rescheduled. We are monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulate General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional demonstrations at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and Consulate General Peshawar.

We advise U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news when large crowds protest near the US Consulate in Karachi following regional tensions tied to recent geopolitical events.