Embassy and consulates suspend services until March 6 after unrest and breach of Karachi consulate amid regional conflict
Security personnel stand guard in front of the United States consulate in Karachi on 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 through Friday, March 6, amid the deteriorating security situation across Pakistan, the US Embassy announced 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 come after protests that broke out across the country after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in a joint US-Israeli attack last weekend. According to an AFP tally published on Monday, the death toll in the protests reached at least 25.
The situation became particularly volatile in Karachi on Sunday, when protesters breached the outer 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 was unclear whether the bullets fired by the Marines hit or killed anyone, and they did not know whether others protecting the mission, including private security guards and local police, were also shot.
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The latest cancellations are an extension of previous 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.
A day earlier, on March 1, the US mission in Pakistan issued a security alert saying it was monitoring ongoing demonstrations at the consulates in Lahore and Karachi, as well as calls for new protests outside the embassy in Islamabad and the consulate in Peshawar. US government personnel were ordered to restrict their movements 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 a post on X that US forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
Two drones also attacked the US embassy in Riyadh early Tuesday, causing a small fire and minor property damage, according to Saudi officials. No injuries were reported and it is understood the building was largely empty at the time. The US Embassy subsequently issued shelter-in-place notices for Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, and restricted non-essential travel to military installations in the region.
