Pakistan: US ends restriction on traveling through Karachi airport July 27 /update 1

Event

On Thursday, July 27, the United States Consulate General ended its restriction on US government personnel traveling to and from Jinnah International Airport (KHI) in Karachi. According to the Consulate General, local security forces have increased security measures at KHI and in the city.

Context

The Consulate General announced the restriction on Tuesday, Jul 25, due to security concerns.

In general, the security situation in Karachi has improved substantially after a large security operation was launched in 2014 against militant and criminal groups. According to official statistics, there has been a 70 percent reduction in targeted killings, an 85 percent reduction in extortion cases, and a 90 percent decrease in cases of kidnappings for ransom. However, both targeted and indiscriminate crime continues to occur with relative frequency.

Advice

Despite this significant improvement, the southern city of Karachi (the largest in Pakistan) remains one of the most crime-prone cities of the whole Asian region. Karachi is described by several Western governments as a city vulnerable to various issues including violent ethnic conflicts, criminal and political violence, and frequent incidents of armed carjacking, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, as well as strikes called for by religious and political parties. As a reminder, all Western embassies in Pakistan advise their citizens against nonessential travel to the country. Travel to Karachi (or elsewhere in Pakistan) should only be considered with proper security protocols in place.