ISLAMABAD: The United States has ordered non-emergency government employees and family members to leave its consulates in Lahore and Karachi due to security risks following the outbreak of hostilities between Washington and Tehran, the US mission in Pakistan said on Wednesday.
The US Department of State issued the order on March 3, citing the ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights across the region after fighting began between the United States and Iran on Feb. 28.
The advisory also comes as demonstrations against US-Israeli strikes in Iran turned violent in Pakistan over the weekend. At least 23 protesters were killed in clashes across the country, including 10 in the southern port city of Karachi where security at the US consulate fired on demonstrators who breached the outer perimeter, 11 in the northern city of Skardu where a crowd torched a UN office, and two in Islamabad.
“On March 3, 2026, the Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and the family members of US government personnel from US Consulates Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to safety risks,” the US mission said in a statement.
