US State Department officially clarifies travel advisory for overseas Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD – The United States State Department has debunked a viral fake travel advisory targeting overseas Pakistanis.

The department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs took to Twitter to clarify the situation, calling attention to the misleading information.

The clarification came days after rumors swirled on social media that the US has asked people traveling to Pakistan from the US and Canada to not use National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) and get a visa on their foreign passports.

“Anyone entering Pakistan with a USA / Canadian passport will legally be considered a USA / Canadian citizen and will be entered into Pakistani Immigration Official Records as a USA / Canadian Citizen. He or she will be entitled to all the benefits and facilities available for USA / Canadian citizens,” read a warning said to be issued by the embassy.

However, it has now been clarified officially that the US government did not issue any such travel advisory and the social media news was fake.

‘We’re aware of a fake travel warning circulating,’ the state department said in a tweet on Sunday.

The Us Department of State issues travel advisories through its website and the last advisory in this regard was issued on May 15th which merely said that U.S. Embassy in Islamabad has canceled all routine consular appointments for Tuesday, May 16, 2023. 

‘U.S. citizens are reminded of potential disruptions to cell-phone service and should have contingency communication plans in place if traveling in-country.  U.S. citizens are urged to pay attention to local media for security updates and planned road closures and maintain good situational awareness and security wherever they travel in Pakistan.  The U.S. Embassy strongly encourages U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings, unnecessary travel, and remain vigilant of their surroundings and to comply with all established security checkpoints,’ stated the advisory issued on May 15th in the aftermath of the protests which erupted after the former premier Imran Khan was arrested as he appeared before a court.