Travelers, take heed: the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has flagged Pakistan as a high-risk country for British citizens. Geo News reports that the FCDO has recently updated its advisory, bringing the total number of countries to avoid to 24, citing heavy crime, conflict, terrorism, disease, climate conditions, and natural disasters as chief concerns for visitor safety.
Among the countries on the FCDO's restricted list are Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, Sudan, Lebanon, Belarus, and the Palestinian territories — all embroiled in conflict. Also listed are Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Haiti, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, North Korea, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
According to Geo News, the FCDO has also published a 'red list' of destinations where travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Their alert emphasizes that travelers from the UK should steer clear of countries mentioned in both, the black and red lists.
As reported by Dawn, the year 2023 has seen a surge of violence in Pakistan, with 1,524 fatalities and 789 terrorist attacks, resulting in 1,463 injuries including nearly 1,000 civilians and security personnel fatalities. This marks a troubling increase in violence for the third consecutive year, with each year commencing with a significant rise in incidents.
