ISLAMABAD, 8 July 2026 (Agencies) – The United States said Wednesday it will resume regular consular services at its consulates in Lahore and Karachi from July 20, 2026, months after suspending operations at both missions due to security concerns following violent protests in Pakistan.
“Great news, Pakistan! The U.S. Consulates in Lahore and Karachi are reopening for regular consular services,” the US Embassy in Islamabad said in a statement posted on X. According to the embassy, the U.S. Consulate General Lahore will resume operations for U.S. Citizen Services, while the U.S. Consulate General Karachi will resume both U.S. Citizen Services and non-immigrant visa processing from the same date.
In a video message accompanying the announcement, an embassy official cautioned applicants against paying external agents or intermediaries for visa interview appointments or applications, and encouraged the public to apply directly through the official US Embassy website.
- Background: suspension tied to deadly anti-American protests
Consular services at both posts had remained suspended since March 2026, after violent protests erupted across Pakistan in the wake of a joint US-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, triggering the outbreak of war between the US, Israel, and Iran.
On March 1, at least 10 people were killed in Karachi when protesters clashed with law enforcement personnel near the US Consulate on Mai Kolachi Road. Police used teargas and baton charges to control the situation, and US Marine Security Guards were reported to have opened fire on protesters after demonstrators breached the consulate’s outer perimeter. Similar protests were held in Islamabad, where at least two demonstrators were killed and more than 30 others were injured during clashes with law enforcement near the Diplomatic Enclave.
Following the unrest, the US State Department on March 4 ordered non-emergency personnel at the Lahore and Karachi consulates, along with their families, to leave Pakistan due to security concerns. On March 5, similar permission was granted for staff to depart US missions in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, and Oman after Iran retaliated against the US-Israeli strikes.
- Peshawar consulate not included in reopening
Separately, in May, the State Department announced the phased closure of its consulate in Peshawar, with operations to be folded into the US Embassy in Islamabad. One report at the time noted the move had been under consideration for over a year as part of a broader restructuring of US federal agencies and was not connected to the Iran war. Unlike Lahore and Karachi, the Peshawar post will not reopen.
The reopening of the Lahore and Karachi consulates marks the restoration of regular diplomatic and visa-processing operations in Pakistan’s two largest cities, more than four months after the missions were forced to scale back services amid regional security concerns stemming from the conflict.