KARACHI: The US consulates in Lahore and Karachi are set to resume regular consular services from July 20, the US embassy in Islamabad said in a statement on Wednesday.
The consulates will provide services to US citizens as well as process non-immigrant visa applications.
US consular services in Lahore and Karachi were suspended in March after protests turned deadly at the onset of the US-Israel war with Iran.
On March 1, as many as 10 protesters were killed in Karachi when law enforcement personnel attempted to stop them from entering the US consulate premises on Mai Kolachi Road. Protests against the US attacks on Iran also took place in other parts of the country, including the federal capital where at least two protesters died and over 30 were injured during clashes with law enforcement personnel near the Diplomatic Enclave.
Due to security concerns, the US State Department ordered non-emergency personnel from US consulates in Karachi and Lahore and their families to leave Pakistan on March 4.
In May, the US State Department announced the phased closure of its consulate in Peshawar, saying it would transfer operations to the embassy in Islamabad. “The move has been under consideration for more than a year since the Trump administration began downsizing nearly all federal agencies and is not related to the Iran war,” The Independent had said at the time.
Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2026
