Embassy, consulates suspend services until March 6 after unrest and breakdown of Karachi consulate amid regional conflict
Security officers stand guard in front of the American consulate in Karachi, March 1, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/LAHORE:
The US Embassy in Islamabad and the consulates general in Lahore and Karachi have canceled all visa appointments until Friday, March 6, amid a deteriorating security situation across Pakistan, the US Embassy announced on Tuesday.
Due to the current security situation, the US Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulates General in Lahore and Karachi have canceled all visa appointments until Friday, March 6.
– US Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) March 3, 2026
The cancellations follow protests that erupted across the country following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike last weekend. According to an AFP report published Monday, the death toll from the demonstrations reached at least 25 deaths.
The situation became particularly volatile in Karachi on Sunday, when protesters broke through the exterior wall of the US consulate. Two U.S. officials told reporters Monday that U.S. Marines opened fire on protesters during the assault — a rare use of force at a diplomatic post.
However, officials cautioned that it remained unclear whether the bullets fired by the Marines hit or killed anyone, and they did not know whether shots were also fired by others protecting the mission, including private security guards and local police.
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The latest cancellations are an extension of earlier disruptions. On March 2, the United States also canceled all visa appointments and services for American citizens at its embassy in Islamabad and consulates in Karachi and Lahore.
The day before, on March 1, the U.S. mission in Pakistan issued a security alert saying it was monitoring ongoing protests at the consulates in Lahore and Karachi, as well as calls for further demonstrations outside the embassy in Islamabad and the consulate in Peshawar. US government personnel have been asked to restrict their travel until further notice.
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Meanwhile, the broader conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran shows no signs of abating. US CENTCOM said in an article on X that US forces destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps installations, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.
Two drones also struck the US embassy in Riyadh early Tuesday, causing a small fire and minor property damage, according to Saudi officials. No injuries were reported as the building was apparently mostly empty at the time. The U.S. Embassy then issued shelter-in-place notices for Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, and restricted non-essential travel to military installations in the region.
