Overview
- Non-emergency employees and eligible family members were directed on March 3 to depart the consulates in Lahore and Karachi, with no change to the status of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.
- Washington kept Pakistan at Level 3 (reconsider travel) and reaffirmed Level 4 do-not-travel warnings for Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including former FATA, and areas near the Line of Control.
- The advisory notes limited U.S. ability to assist citizens in KP, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and most areas outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, and it requires armed escorts and armored vehicles for some staff travel.
- Protests after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader turned deadly near the Karachi consulate, with local reports citing at least nine to ten deaths, and unnamed U.S. officials have been quoted as saying Marines fired during a consulate breach.
- The consulates in Lahore and Karachi canceled visa appointments through March 6, and the guidance warns that U.S. citizens have been detained for joining protests or for social media posts critical of Pakistani authorities.