US warns citizens about travel perils in Pakistan
Officials upgraded their ongoing caution about the travel risks in Pakistan, explicitly advising Americans to put off any non-essential travel to the country. They also “strongly urged” those who are already there to avoid protests and large gatherings.
The State Department said the presence of al Qaeda, Taliban elements, and “indigenous militant sectarian groups poses a potential danger to US citizens throughout Pakistan.”
State Department officials said they may restrict government personnel travel between its embassy and consulates in Pakistan for security or other reasons and that those assigned to the Consulates General are severely restricted.
Additionally, they said US officials in Islamabad should limit how often they travel and how long they stay in public places such as markets and restaurants.
The warning comes in the light of the protests across the country over the controversial anti-Islam film called Innocence of Muslims. Earlier this week, similar warnings against travel by US citizens to Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Sudan and Algeria had already been issued by the State Department. (WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM REUTERS)
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2012.
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Well, it is not just the U.S. but the entire world which is warning its citizens not to go to Pakistan. How does that translate for Pakistan? Zero tourism, zero investors, zero business visits, etc. But certainly still more jihadi tourists from other countries, who want to come to protest in Pakistan because they are "incensed" by the insults in the world's free press which finds itself tickled because Pakistanis are "sooooooo touchy" about their religion (although they themselves do all the things in contravention of the principles of that religion). Talking to a World Bank economist three days back in London, we were told as visiting economists that Pakistan is on the verge of total isolation globally (businesses are avoiding Pakistan because they see everything dark and gloomy, and do not want to throw their money into the fire pit). What happens to the economy of a country with a population of roughly 190 million? No wealth-creating economic activities, no productivity, no growth. It also means more dependence on alms from the rich donor countries who are simply fed up with the deviousness and manipulations of Pakistanis. I feel sorry for the Pakistani businesspeople who have to sit on their goods and services, waiting for customers to order by phone and other means (forget their coming to Pakistan). Some of these businesspeople, who attend international trade shows, find it extremely difficult to even get visas to attend trade shows in Europe and the USA because of Pakistan's "reputation". No man -- or country -- is an island. And this is all the more pronounced as globalization takes steam.