The U.S. Mission in Pakistan urges all U.S. citizens to avoid the area of the Qilla Gujjar Singh Police Lines, located on Empress Road north of Shimla Hill, and less than a kilometer from the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore, Pakistan, until authorities have deemed the surrounding area safe and secure. On Tuesday afternoon, February 17, 2015, a Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) splinter group staged an attack at the police lines, resulting in an explosion and casualties. U.S. citizens are reminded that there is an active Travel Warning for Pakistan. U.S. citizens in Lahore or considering travelling there are requested to closely follow media reports of the current situation, and to use caution when traveling in the area. We remind U.S. citizens that the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore is closed to the public; however, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad remains open.
Updated Information on Travel and Security
The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan urges U.S. citizens to vary their times and routes when traveling anywhere in Pakistan, and to avoid travel patterns to such locations that would allow other persons to predict when and where they will be. Depending on ongoing security assessments, and as part of routine operational security measures, the U.S. Mission occasionally places areas such as hotels, markets, airports, and/or restaurants off-limits to official U.S. personnel.
Updated information on travel and security in Pakistan may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, on 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). For further information, please consult the Travel Warning for Pakistan and the Country Specific Information for Pakistan, as well as the Worldwide Caution. You can also stay up to date by bookmarking our Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which also contains current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts. Follow us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook to have travel information at your fingertips. U.S. citizens traveling to or living in Pakistan are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). If you enroll, we can keep you up-to-date with important safety and security announcements and can also help your family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency. U.S. citizens without Internet access may enroll directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate General. To view emergency services to U.S. citizens in the different consular districts, please click on the links below:
Contact Information for All U.S. Mission to Pakistan Posts
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; e-mail address: ACSIslamabad@state.gov
The U.S. Consulate General Karachi, located at Plot No 3-5, TPX Area, Mai Kolachi Road, Karachi, provides services to U.S. citizens by appointment only. Services can be scheduled by calling (92-21) 3527-5000 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Monday-Friday; fax (92-21) 3527-5885; website; e-mail: ACSKarachi@state.gov.
