In light of protests in Iran, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has issued a travel advise on Saturday advising Pakistani citizens not to make unnecessary trips to the country.
“Until conditions improve, Pakistani nationals are advised to avoid all unnecessary travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran for their safety and security,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Additionally, the alert advised Pakistanis living in Iran to use “extreme caution,” maintain vigilance, restrict non-essential movement, and stay in regular contact with the Pakistani missions” in Mashhad, Zahidan, and Tehran.
The Foreign Office shared contact numbers for the Pakistani mission in Tehran, including +98-21-66-9413-88/89/90/91, +98-21-66-9448-88/90 and +98 910 764 8298. Contact details for the consulate in Zahidan included +98 54 33 22 3389 and +989046145412, while the Mashhad consulate can be reached at +98 910 762 5302 and +98 937 180 7175.
The advisory was issued as protests have continued across Iran for nearly two weeks. The public’s outrage at growing living expenses served as a spark for the protests, which started on December 28. Since the start of the protests, authorities have restricted access to the internet in several areas of the nation.
Human rights activists news agency (HRANA), an Iranian rights organization, reported on Friday that at least 62 people had died since the protests began. The group claimed that 48 demonstrators and 14 security personnel were among the dead.
US President Donald Trump issued a warning at the beginning of January that if Iran’s security forces killed protestors, the US was “locked and loaded” to retaliate.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded to the protesters in remarks that were shown on state television on Friday. He called the protesters “saboteurs” and “vandals.”
A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated earlier this week that Islamabad is against foreign meddling in other nations’ domestic affairs, particularly Iran. He stated that Pakistan did not want to comment on Iran’s internal issues and condemned external pressure or violence, viewing the situation in Iran as an internal affair.