VZCZCXRO8361
PP RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #1240/01 0761117
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171117Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7804
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 6936
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0565
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 5204
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 1764
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 0039

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001240 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PK PREL KNNP
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR STATE/DOE DELEGATION 
MARCH 19-23 
 
REF: STATE 32649 
 
¶1. American Embassy Islamabad grants country clearance and 
warmly welcomes the visit of SCA/RA Director John Schlosser 
and ISN/RA Kahtryn Schultz from the Department of State, and 
Kelly Cummins, Anne Kohnen, Jimmie Collins, Chis Landers, and 
Greg Herdes from the Department of Energy to Islamabad March 
19-23, 2007. 
 
¶2.  Control Officers for the visit will be Political Officers 
Tom West and Mike Fernandez.  Mr. West can be reached at 
92-51-208-2294; mobile: 92-300-501-2173; email: 
westTW@state.gov. 
 
¶3. Visas: Everyone arriving in Pakistan must/must have a 
valid visa.  If you do not have a valid visa, you will be 
denied entry. 
 
¶4.  Hotel Security:  Islamabad and the three constituent 
consulates in Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar are high-threat 
posts.  Employees assigned to Pakistan are unaccompanied and 
receive danger pay.  The Department of State Travel Warning 
for Pakistan asks U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel 
to Pakistan because of the continued high security concerns 
about terrorists in Pakistan.  The Embassy approves only 
essential official travel to Pakistan.  All official visitors 
to Islamabad must adhere to Embassy security standards and 
procedures.  The potential for continued threats to Americans 
in Pakistan from Al-Qaida and other extremist elements 
remains real.  A suicide bomber killed two Consulate 
employees at the U.S. Consulate in Karachi in March 2006. A 
grenade attack against the Protestant International Church in 
Islamabad killed two Embassy members and injured several 
others in March 2002. American, Western, and Christian 
targets continue to be threatened and attacked. 
Anti-Americanism remains strong among certain elements of the 
population. 
 
¶5.  Public Transportation: for safety reasons, Americans are 
prohibited from using taxis and all public transportation. 
 
¶6. Health:  The Embassy Health Unit has provided the 
following information to aid visitors and temporary duty 
 employees in Pakistan: 
 
¶A. Facilities:  There are health units at the embassy and 
each of the three consulates.  The Islamabad Health unit is 
staffed by a Regional Medical Officer, a Foreign Service 
Nurse Practitioner and two RNs.  It provides routine medical 
care and basic laboratory services during the workweek.  It 
does not supply medications for chronic medical conditions; 
these must be brought with you.  The facilities in Lahore, 
Karachi and Peshawar are extremely limited in the services 
they provide and are staffed by part-time local medical 
providers.  Official visitors traveling to or working at 
those locations should bring all personal medicines with them 
including over-the-counter drugs. 
 
¶B. Access: Access to the Health Units at all Mission Pakistan 
posts other than  good samaritan, care is limited to American 
citizen employees and contractors who are eligible for Health 
Unit services.  Good samaritan care is emergency care 
designed to stabilize a patient until s/he can reach or be 
reached by local medical practitioners. 
 
¶C.  Food and Water-borne Illnesses:  Visitors to Pakistan are 
at high risk for water-borne and gastrointestinal illnesses. 
Careful attention to the choice of food and beverages helps 
to reduce the risks.  Avoid salad bars and buffets while 
eating at local restaurants; a la carte items are your safest 
bet.  Meat, eggs, and vegetables should always be thoroughly 
cooked or steamed.  Safe foods include steaming hot dishes, 
rice, pasta, cooked vegetables served hot, and bread 
products.  Foods that are moist and served at room 
temperature, especially peeled fruits, salads, sauces, 
egg-based foods, mayonnaise-based dishes and buffet offerings 
are risky.  Avoid ice cream as well. 
 
¶D.  Drinks:  Safe drinks include hot tea, coffee, and 
carbonated beverages.  Assume all tap water is contaminated 
contrary to notices occasionally posted in some hotels or 
elsewhere.  The only exception to this rule is the tap water 
on the embassy compound.  Commercially available water 
bottled in Pakistan has been found to be inconsistently safe 
for consumption.  Bottled water sold in our commissary has 
been judged safe.  Be sure the seals have not been broken. 
Remember that freezing does not make water safe, so avoid ice 
cubes unless you know they have been made from potable water. 
 
ISLAMABAD 00001240  002 OF 002 
 
 
Personal portable water purification systems are available 
commercially at nominal cost and can easily be transported in 
luggage as they are no larger than a tall mug.  These devices 
protect against bacteria as well as viruses and protozoa. 
 
¶E.  Malaria:  Malaria is endemic to various regions in 
Pakistan, and the risks of infection vary depending on 
location, altitude and season.  During the rainy season all 
visitors are advised to take prophylaxis, especially those 
traveling outside the major metropolitan centers or who make 
frequent trips between the consulates and Embassy. Mefloquine 
is the preferred prophylaxis and should be brought with you 
during travel as it is unavailable in country except at the 
mission health units.  Doxycycline is an alternative and is 
available in country.  In conjunction with medication, 
visitors must also take measures to reduce contact with 
mosquitoes, such as wearing clothing that covers most of the 
body and using an insect repellent containing DEET. 
 
¶F.  Immunizations:  Visitor immunization records should be 
reviewed by the Department's Immunization Clinic prior to 
departure.  For short-term visitors the following 
immunizations are recommended: hepatitis a, hepatitis b, 
typhoid, and tetanus in addition to usual childhood 
immunizations.  The rabies series is also recommended for 
Pakistan and should be completed before arriving in country. 
The Health Unit in Islamabad can provide most vaccinations 
except smallpox, which is only available in Washington.  The 
consulate health units can provide a limited number of 
vaccinations depending on type needed and health unit 
staffing. 
 
¶H.  Emergency Medical Services: Emergency medical care is 
extremely limited in Pakistan even in major cities.  The 
health units keep up-to-date lists of available facilities in 
cities in which the embassy and consulates are located. 
Travelers should arrange for medical evacuation insurance 
either personally or through their sponsoring agency prior to 
their arrival in country. 
 
¶I.  Automobile and Pedestrian Safety: Overseas automobile 
accidents remain a major cause of death of expatriates abroad 
and Pakistan is no exception.  Further, vehicles in Pakistan 
are driven on the left side of the road, which adds another 
dimension to automobile and pedestrian safety if you are not 
used to this traffic pattern.  Avoid driving at night if at 
all possible.  Use seat belts in both rear and front seats, 
and insist that your driver maintains a safe speed.  Stay 
alert crossing streets and intersections, especially after 
dark. 
CROCKER