Upcoming elections in Pakistan

The rescheduled parliamentary elections in Pakistan on February 18th and a car bomb last week in Charsadda have led the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to review its travel advice for the country.

Election campaigning activity is thought likely to give rise to an escalation of violence in a country where the FCO already considers the threat from terrorism to be high.

Travellers should avoid using the rail network across the whole of Pakistan as well as the bus services in Balochistan.

The FCO continues to advise against all travel to northern and western Balochistan; the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, including Waziristan; Swat, the North-west Frontier Province (NWFP); and all border areas.

As the unsettled security situation is likely to increase in the period leading up to the elections, the FCO advises against all but essential travel to northern Sindh, southern Punjab and Quetta.