Close on the heels of the visit of two top Pakistani officials to Washington, the US State Department has revised its travel advisory for Pakistan, upgrading it from "no travel", to "avoid unnecessary travels", saying the country’s security situation has improved in recent years.

The revision — from level four to level three — although not a major change, is still a notable improvement and came amidst US officials seeking Pakistan’s cooperation in preventing a Taliban takeover of Kabul.   

The change in US advisory followed a trip by Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf and Director General ISI Faiz Hameed, who held talks focusing on Afghanistan with American officials.

According to Dawn, the US officials sought Pakistan’s cooperation in preventing a Taliban takeover of Kabul. The Pakistani officials assured Washington that it would not support a forcible takeover but also urged the Afghan government not to seek a military victory.

US officials, in briefings to the media and speeches at think tanks, have made it clear that Washington will not accept a Taliban takeover and persuade other nations as well not to recognize such a government.

Washington has also indicated that it would discontinue its economic support to a Taliban-only government, even though the war-torn country heavily depends on US aid.

Discontinuation of economic assistance and lack of diplomatic recognition could push Afghanistan into complete isolation, creating serious problems for Pakistan as well.

"Pakistan’s security environment has improved since 2014 when Pakistani security forces undertook concerted counter-terrorism and counter militant operations," the latest US travel advisory noted.

"There are greater security resources and infrastructure in major cities, particularly Islamabad, and security forces in these areas may be more readily able to respond to an emergency compared to other areas of the country."

The advisory pointed out that "while threats still exist, terrorist attacks are rare in Islamabad."

The notification, however, urged US citizens to "reconsider travel to Pakistan due to terrorism and sectarian violence” and suggested additional caution due to Covid-19, as “some areas have increased risk.”

Yusuf later told journalists that during his 10-day stay in Washington no US official or lawmaker asked for a military base in Pakistan. “The word base was not mentioned, not even once, during our talks, except in the media,” he said, adding: "Bases were not discussed at all from either side during this trip because we have already made our position clear. That chapter is closed."

Earlier reports in both US and Pakistani media claimed that the Biden administration was seeking military bases in Pakistan to influence developments in Afghanistan, particularly if the Taliban seized Kabul.

(SAM)