On December 16th at approximately 13:30 hrs, two different religious protests are expected to begin in Lahore. The first will start at the Press Club and the second in Data Darbar. Both are scheduled to end at Faisal Chowk, Mall Road. The subject of these protests is the presence of the Ahmadi community. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. U.S. citizens should avoid these areas.
U.S. citizens are reminded that there is an active Travel Warning for Pakistan issued on October 7, 2016. U.S. citizens are urged to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan. The Mission reminds those U.S. citizens considering travel to or remaining in Pakistan despite this warning to:
- keep a trusted friend informed of your movements in country
- maintain vigilant situational awareness and keep a low profile
- avoid large crowds, locations frequented by Westerners, and hotels that do not apply stringent security measures
- vary your times and routes when traveling in Pakistan
- verify that travel documents, visas, and residency documents remain valid and accessible at all times
Consular services in Pakistan are available in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. The consulate in Peshawar is not providing consular services at this time.
For Further Information:
- See the State Department’s travel websitefor the Worldwide Caution, Worldwide Travel Alert, the active Travel Warning for Pakistan, and Pakistan Country Specific Information.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program(STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, located at 50 Shahrah-E-Abdul Hameed Bin Badees (Old Empress Road), at +92 42 3603 4000. (Calling within Pakistan, dial 042 3603 4000.) This number is available 24 hours a day for emergencies involving U.S. citizens in the province of Punjab south of Gujrat District.
- You may also contact the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, located at Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, +92 51 201 4000. (Calling within Pakistan, dial 051 201 4000.) This number also is available 24 hours a day for emergencies involving U.S. citizens in all other parts of Pakistan. See also https://pk.usembassy.gov.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
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