Pakistan developing new safety guidelines for diplomat travel following Swat convoy attack

This photo shows a police vehicle, part of a convoy of foreign diplomats visiting Pakistan’s northwest, targeted in a roadside bombing at Malam Jabba in the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on September 22, 2024. A Pakistan policeman was killed and three others injured after a roadside bomb hit a convoy of foreign diplomats in the northwest, police said on September 22. (Photo courtesy: Swat District administration)

• One policeman was killed, three others injured in an explosion targeting foreign diplomats over the weekend
• Visit was organized by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry without informing the foreign office

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office said on Thursday the country is developing new travel guidelines for foreign diplomats to ensure their safety, following a recent attack on a convoy of representatives from various countries in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
At least one policeman was killed, and three others were injured in Malam Jabba, a tourist resort in Swat, during a roadside bomb attack targeting foreign diplomats over the weekend. Police said most of the envoys were from Central Asian and European countries and were visiting scenic spots when the incident occurred.
All diplomats remained unharmed and returned safely to Islamabad, though the attack prompted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial administration to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.
“We are developing guidelines to ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters during her weekly media briefing in Islamabad.
“We are in the process of discussions and internal deliberations on how to implement these measures, how to rectify what has happened, and how to fix things for the future,” she added.
The spokesperson said the government had condemned the incident, noting that the foreign diplomats’ trip had been organized by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) without prior consent from the ministry.
“We have taken serious note of the lapses made by the concerned individuals, including their failure to inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about organizing such a visit,” she continued.
Baloch said Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had met with the envoys and assured them that Pakistan would fully investigate the incident and implement procedures to ensure their safety.
Some envoys had informed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration of their travel as a standard procedure, she added.
Baloch expressed Pakistan’s commitment to ensuring that foreign diplomats’ stay in the country is as comfortable and secure as possible.
“We encourage foreign diplomats to explore Pakistan and follow the guidelines that have been shared with them on several occasions regarding their travel to any part of Pakistan,” she added.
Pakistan has seen a rise in militant attacks, particularly in its two western provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Swat, known for its scenic beauty and historical sites, attracts many tourists, though it briefly fell under Taliban control in 2007 and witnessed extremist violence and the destruction of girls’ schools before a military campaign was launched to secure the area in 2009.
Pakistani security forces have also intensified intelligence-based operations against armed factions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent months to curb militant violence and deal with the rising threat in the region.