ISLAMABAD, 21 March 2003 — The US Embassy and its consulates in Pakistan shut down “temporarily” yesterday following the outbreak of war in Iraq, spokeswoman Linda Cheatham said, citing security reasons.
Earlier yesterday non-essential staff at the US Embassy and elsewhere in Pakistan began leaving the country.
“I won’t go into numbers, but yes some people are leaving,” Cheatham said.
The US Consulate in southern Karachi has been closed since August after a suicide bomber killed 17 Pakistanis in a violent attack on the facility. Earlier this month, a policeman guarding the closed consulate was killed by a lone gunman.
“The US Embassy and the consulates in Lahore and Peshawar will close temporarily and suspend public services effective March 21,” Cheatham said.
Essential embassy staff will remain on the job and will be working, but public access will halt temporarily, she added.
The US State Department on Wednesday authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency staff and diplomats posted in Pakistan.
“The Department of State has authorized the departure on a voluntary basis of non-emergency personnel at the US Embassy and US consulates in Pakistan,” a travel warning said. “Private American citizens currently in Pakistan should consider departing.”
Affected US posts include the embassy in the capital, Islamabad, and consulates in Peshawar and Lahore. The consulate in Karachi has been closed since August due to security concerns.
“Americans in Pakistan should exercise caution and take prudent measures to maintain their security,” the warning said.
“These measures include being vigilantly aware of their surroundings, avoiding crowds and demonstrations, keeping a low profile, varying times and routes for all required travel and ensuring travel documents are current.”
The advisory did not mention the looming war directly, but US officials have recognized that US action against Iraq could expose their anti-terror ally President Pervez Musharraf to domestic political upheaval.
There are also fears that US citizens or facilities could face reprisal attacks from terrorist groups.
Several large demonstrations have already been held against a US-led war on Iraq in major cities.
Americans in Pakistan had been on the alert for months over possible new terror strikes like those which have already targeted compatriots since Washington launched its campaign against terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Those include a March 17, 2002, attack on a church in Islamabad that killed the wife and step-daughter of a US diplomat, and the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
