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After U.S., Saudi Arabia and Australia Issue Security Threat for Islamabad

Safety advisories caution citizens to increase vigilance and not visit public places unnecessarily

by Staff Report

File photo. Arif Ali—AFP

A day after the United States Embassy issued a travel advisory for its citizens and mission staff in Islamabad following a suicide bombing in the federal capital, Saudi Arabia and Australia likewise issued advisories cautioning their citizens against non-essential visits to public places.

In a statement shared on its Twitter account, the Saudi Arabian embassy urged its citizens in Islamabad to remain alert in light of increased security following last week’s suicide bombing in Islamabad’s I-10 sector. “The embassy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan would like to warn all citizens residing and visiting the Islamic Republic of Pakistan of the need to take caution and not go out except for necessity, given that the authorities in the capital, Islamabad, have raised the security alert to the highest level,” it said in a statement posed to Twitter.

Similarly, Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Neil Hawkins shared a statement posted by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on his Twitter account, advising citizens to exercise vigilance about a potential terror attack in Islamabad during the holiday season. “Heightened security arrangements are in place and public events have been banned,” read the statement. “Australian officials in Islamabad have been advised to increase vigilance and limit travel within the city. You should exercise heightened vigilance and monitor the media for latest updates,” it added.

A day earlier, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad had advised all mission personnel to avoid “non-essential and unofficial” travel in Islamabad, citing information that “unknown individuals are possibly plotting to attack Americans at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad sometime during the holidays.” Barring staff from visiting the hotel, it stressed that Pakistan’s capital was currently on “red alert” due to security concerns.

The statement also advised staff to exercise vigilance at events, places of worship, and avoid locations with large crowds; review personal security plans; carry identification and follow requests from law enforcement; be aware of their surroundings; and monitor local media for updates.

Pakistan is in the midst of a new wave of terrorism, triggered by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan unilaterally ending a ceasefire the group had inked with the government last year. On Friday morning, a suicide bomber in Islamabad detonated explosives planted in a taxi after police stopped him to check the vehicle. As a consequence, a police official was martyred and seven people, including a policeman, were injured.

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