Cantonment areas – including all those places where sensitive and important installations fall – 10 miles from the Line of Control in Kashmir have been declared off limits for foreigners.
“The government of Pakistan has banned the entry of foreigners in these areas,” read the contents of the circular issued by the National Crisis Management Cell of the Ministry of Interior.
This letter was also sent to the provincial home departments, provincial police chiefs and heads of other law enforcement agencies.
The so-called “no-go” areas for foreign visitors in Balochistan include Pishin, Quetta, Bugti Agency, Kohlu Agency, Sibi district, 35 miles border area of Qilla Saifullah, Zhob Agency, Loralai.
The government has also declared Mosa Khel in Punjab and Bannu district and the special scanning border area of Dera Ismail Khan as off limits for foreigners.
Police and law enforcement agencies have been directed to immediately implement these directions as precautionary security measure.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2012.
COMMENTS (22)
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The govt. has finally conceded that the areas so forbidden for foreign tourists are totally unsafe and they do not want to increase their problem when they get kidnapped and the homeland country of tourist mounts pressure.. Moreover this is a restriction on foreign investigative journalists( in the guise of tourists0 too to further expose their inability/vulnerability in the area. Spies need not go to border areas themselves.
The Pakistan government failed to mention that these areas are also unsafe for Pakistani's. Actually all of Pakistan pretty much appears to be a free for all given over to violence at any given moment.
Dear Correspondent; Musakhel is also in Balochistan
@ConfusedCitizen: Vienna,July 2,2012 LOL LOL LOL you are the best of online news readers. But you should explain what it means by "excretory organ" or it was by mistake you used for extra territorial organ.Dual nationality rights should not be exposed.One passport is enough for identification, I mean Pakistani passport. Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring TTTMM India --Kulamarva Balakrishna
can a person with Dual-Nationality visit these areas?
Sindh isn't part of these recommendations! Jeay secular, tolerant peaceful Sindh! :D
Only part of Pakistan that is still rational :P
@Hashmi: You shouldn't speak out of your excretory organ on public forums.
Rehman Maliks are of course exceptions.
what about our dual national mnas and mpas will they be allowed?
instead of pakistanis and their goverment to open up to foreigners they are hating foreigners more and more.but pakistanis are in other people`s country enjoying everything,even most of them are citizens of other country.all their politician or high class family got nationality of other country their childrens are outside studying and enjoying life at fullest from africa,europe,middle east and australia,nobody is restricting them but here in pakistan only few foreigners are here but still pakistanis and their government are too hostile to the foreigners.i think is time to pakistanis to start to change their mindset towards foreigners in pakistan.visit india or even dubai and see how they love foreigners welcome them with open hands but in pakistan they only hate and hate and hate foreigners.pakistans are the enemy of pakisan not foreigners
Read between the lines, its off limits for Indian spies who are inciting hatred, causing sectarian violence, funnelling money for terrorists, channelling separatist movements. bombing buildings and buses.. causing all the suicide attacks... But this is not so easy.. An iron hand is needed to deal with this sort of enmity displayed by our Aman ki Asha neighbours...
What about poor Pakistanis who are living in these "NO GO DISTRICTS'. Are they at mercy of TTP and BLA.
So Peshawar is a go go area.
Govt. is trying to hide all the wrong things in the no go areas by barring foreigners from going there.
Musa Khel is in Balochistan and not in Punjab as stated in this article.
What about Non State Actors? I guess they have no restrictions placed on them.
signs of a failed state.
ET. Please note that Mosa Khel is in Balochistan not in Panjab.
@True blue BIHARI, dude its not for tourists its to limit spies who roam around these places in the guise of tourists.
Instead of certain areas just announce all of PK off limit to foreign nationals!
Are there any foreign tourists to be off limit or its just one among the many whims of Pak Govt... Good, dream on...