The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.

The advisory cites safety and security concerns, recommending that Pakistanis currently residing in these countries exercise extreme caution.

The Ministry advises those residing in the four nations to limit their movements to essential travel only, maintain a high level of vigilance, and stay in regular contact with the relevant Pakistani embassies.

The Ministry did not specify the nature of the security concerns prompting the advisory.The advisory will remain in effect until the security situation in these countries improves, according to the Ministry’s statement.

Pakistan has already evacuated thousands of citizens and zaireen from Iran as attacks from Israel have intensified. MoFA said on Thursday that it was continuously in contact with Iranian authorities over the matter.