US Orders Non-Emergency Staff and Families to Depart Consulates in Karachi and Lahore

The United States Department of State has directed non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their family members assigned to the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore to leave Pakistan immediately due to elevated safety concerns.

The order, issued on March 3, 2026, does not affect operations at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, which remains fully operational with no changes to its status.

The Department of State ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and the family members of U.S. government personnel from U.S. Consulates Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to safety risks, the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan stated in an official announcement.

This precautionary measure comes amid escalating regional tensions, including ongoing hostilities involving the United States and Iran that began in late February 2026. Pakistan, sharing a lengthy border with Iran and home to a significant Shiite Muslim population, has seen a surge in anti-U.S. sentiment and protests linked to the conflict.

In response to the deteriorating security environment, the U.S. Mission in Pakistan has suspended all routine consular services, including visa appointments and American Citizen Services, at the Embassy in Islamabad and Consulates in Karachi and Lahore through at least Friday, March 6. All U.S. government personnel across the country face restricted movements. Operations at the U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar were temporarily suspended effective March 2.

The U.S. travel advisory for Pakistan remains at Level 3: Reconsider Travel due to risks of terrorism, armed conflict, crime, and kidnapping, with Level 4: Do Not Travel designations for provinces like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.