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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 STATE 001620 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC PTER ASEC PK
SUBJECT: TRAVEL WARNING - PAKISTAN 
 
STATE 00001620  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. The State Department warns U.S. citizens of the risks 
of travel to Pakistan.  This Travel Warning replaces the 
Travel Warning dated June 12, 2009, updates information 
on security incidents and reminds U.S. citizens of 
ongoing security concerns in Pakistan. 
 
¶2. Pakistani military forces have engaged in a campaign 
against violent extremist elements across many areas of 
the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and parts 
of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).  Terrorists 
blame the Pakistani and the U.S. governments for the 
military pressure on their traditional havens and the 
death of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader- 
Baitullah Mehsud- in NWFP in August 2009.  In response, 
militants are seeking to increase their attacks on 
civilian, government, and foreign targets in Pakistan's 
cities. 
 
¶3.  The presence of Al-Qaida, Taliban elements, and 
indigenous militant sectarian groups poses a potential 
danger to American citizens throughout Pakistan, 
especially in the western border regions of the country. 
Flare-ups of tensions and violence in the many areas of 
the world also increase the possibility of violence 
against Westerners.  Terrorists and their sympathizers 
regularly attack civilian, government, and foreign 
targets, particularly in the NWFP.  The Government of 
Pakistan has heightened security measures, particularly 
in the major cities.  Threat reporting indicates 
terrorist groups continue to seek opportunities to attack 
locations where Americans and Westerners are known to 
congregate or visit, such as shopping areas, hotels, 
clubs and restaurants, places of worship, schools, or 
outdoor recreation events.  In recent incidents, 
terrorists have disguised themselves as Pakistani 
security forces personnel to gain access to targeted 
areas. Some media reports have recently falsely 
identified U.S. diplomats - and to a lesser extent U.S. 
journalists and NGO workers - as being intelligence 
operatives or private security personnel. 
 
¶4.  Visits by U.S. government personnel to Peshawar and 
Karachi are limited, and movements by U.S. government 
personnel assigned to the Consulates General in those 
cities are severely restricted.  American officials in 
Lahore and Islamabad are instructed to restrict the 
frequency and to minimize the duration of trips to public 
markets, restaurants, and other locations.  Only a 
limited number of official visitors are placed in hotels, 
and for limited stays.  Depending on ongoing security 
assessments, the U.S. Embassy places areas such as 
hotels, markets, and/or restaurants off limits to 
official personnel.  American citizens in Pakistan are 
strongly urged to avoid hotels that do not apply 
stringent security measures and to maintain good 
situational awareness, particularly when visiting 
locations frequented by Westerners. 
 
¶5.  Since October 2009, terrorists have executed 
coordinated attacks with multiple operatives using 
portable weaponry such as guns, grenades, RPGs, and 
suicide vests or car bombs in Peshawar, Lahore and 
Rawalpindi.  Recent attacks included armed assaults on 
heavily-guarded sites such as the Pakistani Army 
headquarters in Rawalpindi, the United Nations World Food 
Program's office in Islamabad, police training complexes 
in Lahore; targeted assassinations, including attacks on 
Pakistani military officers and politicians in Islamabad, 
as well as an Iranian diplomat in Peshawar; and suicide 
bomb attacks in public areas, such as an Islamabad 
 
STATE 00001620  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
university, a Rawalpindi mosque, and major marketplaces 
in Lahore and Peshawar. 
 
¶6.  Americans have been victims in such attacks.  The 
October 2009 attack on the World Food Program 
headquarters resulted in the serious injury of an 
American citizen.  On November 12, 2008, a U.S. 
government contractor and his driver in Peshawar were 
shot and killed in their car.  In September 2008, over 50 
people, including three Americans, were killed and 
hundreds were injured when a suicide bomber set off a 
truck filled with explosives outside a major 
international hotel in Islamabad.  In August 2008, gunmen 
stopped and shot at the vehicle of an American diplomat 
in Peshawar.  In March 2008, a restaurant frequented by 
Westerners in Islamabad was bombed, killing one patron 
and seriously injuring several others, including four 
American diplomats.  On March 2, 2006, an American 
diplomat, a Consulate employee, and three others were 
killed when a suicide bomber detonated a car packed with 
explosives alongside the U.S. Consulate General in 
Karachi.  Fifty-two others were wounded. 
 
¶7.  Since 2007, several American citizens throughout 
Pakistan have been kidnapped for ransom or for personal 
reasons.  Kidnappings of foreigners are particularly 
common in the NWFP and Balochistan.  In 2008, one Iranian 
and two Afghan diplomats, two Chinese engineers, and a 
Polish engineer were kidnapped in NWFP.  In February 
2009, an American UNHCR official was kidnapped in 
Balochistan.  Kidnappings of Pakistanis also increased 
dramatically across the country, usually for ransom. 
 
¶8.  According to the Department of State's 2008 Human 
Rights Report for Pakistan, there were over 200 terrorist 
attacks, including more than 65 suicide bombings, which 
killed an estimated 970 civilians and security personnel. 
Some of the attacks have occurred outside major hotels, 
in market areas and other locations frequented by 
Americans.  Other targets have included restaurants, 
Pakistani government officials and buildings, police and 
security forces, mosques, diplomatic missions and 
international NGOs.  Since late 2007, occasional rockets 
have targeted areas in and around Peshawar. 
 
¶9.  Access to many areas of Pakistan, including the FATA 
along the Afghan border, and the area adjacent to the 
Line of Control (LOC) in the disputed territory of 
Kashmir, is restricted by local government authorities 
for non-Pakistanis.  Travel to any restricted region 
requires official permission by the Government of 
Pakistan.  Failure to obtain such permission in advance 
can result in arrest and detention by Pakistani 
authorities.  Due to security concerns the U.S. 
Government currently allows only essential travel within 
the FATA by American officials.  Travel to much of NWFP 
and Balochistan is also restricted. 
 
¶10.  Rallies, demonstrations, and processions occur 
regularly throughout Pakistan on very short notice.  The 
December 2007 death of former Prime Minister Benazir 
Bhutto, a clash between two groups of lawyers in April 
2008, ethnic clashes in December 2008, and the bombing of 
a religious procession in December 2009, each triggered 
widespread rioting in Karachi.  Multiple deaths and 
injuries as well as widespread property damage occurred 
on each occasion.  Demonstrations have often taken on an 
anti-American or anti-Western character, and Americans 
are urged to avoid large gatherings. 
 
¶11.  U.S. citizens who travel to or remain in Pakistan 
despite this Travel Warning are encouraged to register 
with the Embassy in Islamabad or the Consulates General 
in Karachi, Lahore, or Peshawar.  This registration can 
 
STATE 00001620  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
be completed online through the Department of State's 
travel registration website.  Alternatively, Americans 
without Internet access should contact the nearest 
Embassy or Consulate for information on registering in 
person.  Registration enables citizens to obtain updated 
information on travel and security within Pakistan via 
the emergency alert system (Warden Notices). 
 
¶12.  The Embassy reiterates its advice to all Americans 
to take measures for their safety and security at all 
times.  These measures include maintaining good 
situational awareness, avoiding crowds, and keeping a low 
profile.  The Embassy reminds Americans that even 
peaceful demonstrations may become violent and advises 
Americans to avoid demonstrations.  Americans should 
avoid setting patterns by varying times and routes for 
all required travel.  Americans should ensure that their 
travel documents and visas are valid at all times. 
Official Americans are instructed to avoid use of public 
transportation and restrict their use of personal 
vehicles in response to security concerns. 
 
¶13.  Security threats may on short notice temporarily 
restrict the ability of U.S. Missions, particularly in 
Peshawar, to provide routine consular services.  All 
American citizens are encouraged to apply for renewal of 
travel documents at least three months prior to 
expiration. 
 
¶14.  The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad is located at 
Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5; telephone (92-51) 208-0000; 
Consular Section telephone (92-51) 208-2700; fax (92-51) 
282-2632; website http://islamabad.usembassy.gov; Email 
address: acs_islamabad@state.gov.  For after-hours 
emergencies, please call +92-51-208-0000. 
 
¶15.  The U.S. Consulate General in Karachi, located at 8 
Abdullah Haroon Road, provides service to U.S. citizens 
by appointment only.  U.S. citizens requiring assistance 
should call the consular section in Karachi.  Their 
telephone is (92-21) 3520-4200; fax (92-21) 3568-0496; 
website http://karachi.usconsulate.gov/.  For after-hours 
emergencies, please call +92-21-3520-4200. 
 
¶16.  The U.S. Consulate in Lahore is located at 50- 
Sharah-E-Abdul Hameed Bin Badees, (Old Empress Road) near 
Shimla Hill Rotary; telephone (92-42) 3603-4000; fax (92- 
42) 3603-4200; website http://lahore.usconsulate.gov/; 
Email address: acslahore@state.gov.  For after-hours 
emergencies, please call +92-42-603-4000. 
 
¶17.  The U.S. Consulate in Peshawar is located at 11 
Hospital Road, Cantonment, Peshawar; telephone (92-91) 
526-8800; fax (92-91) 527-6712; website 
http://peshawar.usconsulate.gov.  For after-hours 
emergencies, please call +92-91-526-8800. 
 
¶18.  U.S. citizens living or traveling in Pakistan are 
encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy or 
Consulates or through the State Department's travel 
registration website, 
https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain 
updated information on travel and security within 
Pakistan.  U.S. citizens without Internet access may 
register directly with the U.S. Embassy or Consulates in 
Pakistan.  By registering, U.S. citizens make it easier 
for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. 
For the latest security information, Americans traveling 
abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet 
web site at http://travel.state.gov where the Worldwide 
Caution and the Pakistan Country Specific Information can 
be found.  Up-to-date information on security can also be 
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the 
United States and Canada, or, for callers outside the 
 
STATE 00001620  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202- 
501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 
8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except 
U.S. federal holidays). 
 
¶19.  Minimize considered. 
CLINTON