Islamabad (Web Desk): Pakistan has described the update in US Travel Advisory, acknowledging improvement in Pakistan’s security environment, as a step in the right direction.
In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that Pakistan has made resolute efforts to enhance security throughout the country.
"Significant improvement in the security environment has led the United Nations (UN) to re-designate Islamabad as a family station for its personnel", she said.
The FO spokesperson said recently, the United Kingdom, while acknowledging the measures taken by Pakistan, has also revised its Travel Advisory, the Radio Pakistan reported.
The positive decisions by Portugal and Norway with regard to their travel advisories for Pakistan also reflect the confidence of these European governments in Pakistan’s security environment, the spokesperson said.
She said with Pakistan’s liberal visa regime and conducive environment for tourism, we are confident that larger number of tourists from all over the world would be travelling to Pakistan.
The FO spokesperson said that the improved security situation also offers opportunities for enhanced economic activity and foreign direct investment in the country.
The US travel advisory states, "Pakistan’s security environment has improved since 2014 when Pakistani security forces undertook concerted counter-terrorist and counter militant operations".
The travel advisory cautions travellers not to go to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, along with the Line of Control (LoC), while putting the rest of the country at Level 3.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has also been declared as one of the "Best Holiday Destinations for 2020" by the award-winning travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler.