UK issues fresh travel advisory for its citizens in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom has issued a revised travel advisory for Pakistan, strongly cautioning against all travel to specific regions within the country. 

The advisory particularly discourages travel within 10 miles of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border due to safety concerns.

The FCDO also highlights other regions deemed unsafe for travel, including various areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Specific provinces and regions are listed along with detailed areas within them that are advised against for travel.

Here is a breakdown of the unsafe areas according to the advisory:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Bajaur, Bannu, Buner, Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber, Kohat, Kurram, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Mohmand Orakzai, Peshawar, Swat, Tank, North Waziristan, Upper South Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan.

Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas via Battagram, Besham City, Dasu, and Sazin up to the junction with the N15.

N45 Highway, from the north of the Mardan ring road to the edge of Chitral City.

Balochistan: The FCDO advises against all travel to Balochistan province, except for essential travel to the southern coast of Balochistan, including the area south of (and including) the N10 motorway and the section of the N25 from the N10/N25 intersection to the Balochistan-Sindh border, including the port city of Gwadar.

AJK: The FCDO advises against all travel within 10 miles of the Line of Control (LOC), the military control line between AJK and the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Sindh: FCDO advises against all but essential travel to all areas of Sindh Province north of and including the city of Nawabshah.

The advisory also underscores the potential invalidation of travel insurance for UK citizens if they disregard the provided advice. The increased caution is attributed to the rise in terror-related incidents in Pakistan since the Taliban-led administration assumed control in Afghanistan in 2021. 

In 2023, there were 586 reported terror attacks, with 17% attributed to banned groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Daesh, and others. 

The report also mentions security forces conducting 197 operations against outlaws, resulting in 537-545 fatalities. 

The Annual Security Report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reported 1,524 deaths and 1,463 injuries in the preceding year.