Pakistan risky country for US diplomats

US citizens warned of security concerns in Pakistan

By Mariana Baabar

ISLAMABAD: US President George W Bush and his entourage of hundreds will be visiting Islamabad this week but interestingly the US Embassy in the capital on Tuesday warned US citizens of what it called security concerns in Pakistan.

According to the travel advisories, due to "the ongoing concerns" about the possibility of terrorist activity directed against American citizens and interests, the US Department of State continues to warn US citizens to defer non-essential travel to Pakistan.

The US Embassy in Islamabad and the consulates in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar are operating with reduced staff. Family members of the American officials assigned to the embassy and consulates in Pakistan were ordered to leave the country in March 2002 and have not been allowed to return.

According to the website of the US Embassy, 16 advisory notices have been posted from January 1 this year, the last one posted this Monday. Updated travel and security information for Pakistan is issued periodically via the emergency alert system (the warden network).