U.S. Issues Travel Advisory for Pakistan: Think Twice Before Visiting
New York: In light of potential terrorist activities and violent conflicts, the United States has issued a travel advisory warning its citizens against visiting areas near the India-Pakistan border, the Line of Control (LoC), as well as Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The U.S. State Department stated in its advisory that these regions are prone to terrorist activities and armed conflicts, urging travelers to reconsider their plans to visit Pakistan. Due to ongoing violence by terrorist and extremist groups, both civilians and security personnel have been targeted in indiscriminate attacks. Terrorists can strike without warning, targeting government facilities, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, schools, hospitals, and places of worship. The advisory specifically warns Americans against traveling to Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the high risk of terrorism.
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have witnessed severe violence in recent months, with groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carrying out numerous attacks on civilians and security forces.
Notably, the Global Terrorism Index published by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace ranks Pakistan as the second most terrorism-affected country in the world. The survey covered 163 countries, accounting for 99.7% of the global population.
