ISLAMABAD: The US embassy in Islamabad this week warned citizens to reconsider traveling to Pakistan “due to terrorism” and “increased risks” of violence in some parts of the country as the South Asian nation faces a surge in militant activity.

Pakistan has seen a number of high-profile attacks in recent months, including when separatist militants killed over 50 people in the country’s largest province of Balochistan in a string of coordinated attacks on army and paramilitary camps, police stations, railway lines and highways last month. Elsewhere in the country, particularly the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, religiously motivated groups like the Pakistani Taliban have also stepped up attacks, daily targeting security forces convoys and check posts, and carrying out targeted killings and kidnappings of security and government officials.

“Reconsider travel to Pakistan due to terrorism,” the US Embassy said in a new travel advisory issued on Tuesday. “Some areas have increased risk. Do not travel to Balochistan province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), due to terrorism [and] the immediate vicinity of the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict.”

Highlighting risks, the embassy said militants could launch attacks with “little or no warning,” targeting transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, tourist attractions, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and government facilities. 

It advised its citizens against going to protests, saying Pakistani law prohibited protests without an official permit and US citizens could be detained for participation or for posting “critical” social media content against the Pakistan government and military.

“Pakistan’s security environment remains fluid, sometimes changing with little or no notice,” the advisory said. “There are greater security resources and infrastructure in the major cities, particularly Islamabad, and security forces in these areas may be more readily able to respond to an emergency compared to other areas of the country.”

If US citizens did decide to travel to Pakistan, the embassy advised them, among other measures, to monitor local media for breaking events, remain aware of surroundings, particularly around public markets, restaurants, police installations, places of worship, government and military institutions and other locations, avoid demonstrations or other large gatherings, have evacuation plans that did not rely on US government assistance and keep travel documents up to date and easily accessible.

ISLAMABAD: Saudi oil giant Aramco said on Wednesday it would launch its first branded retail gas station in Pakistan by the end of the year, having already completed the acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. (GO) in May.

Aramco is a global integrated energy and chemicals company that produces approximately one in every eight barrels of the world’s oil supply. GO, one of Pakistan’s largest retail and storage companies, is involved in the procurement, storage, sale and marketing of petroleum products and lubricants.

“We are working to launch our first Aramco-branded gas station in Pakistan by the end of the year,” the Saudi oil company’s media department told Arab News in an emailed statement. “Will share more information when the site is commissioned.”

A Pakistan Board of Investment (BOI) official said Aramco’s acquisition of GO represented the oil giant’s first downstream retail investment in Pakistan and signaled the company’s growing retail presence in high-value markets. 

In March, Aramco also acquired a 100 percent equity stake in Esmax Distribución SpA, a leading diversified downstream fuels and lubricants retailer in Chile.

“Our global retail expansion is gaining pace and this acquisition [of GO] is an important next step on our journey,” Yasser Mufti, Aramco Executive Vice President of Products & Customers, said in a statement in May when the GO deal was completed. 

“Through our strategic partnership with GO, we look forward to supplying Aramco’s high-quality products and services to valued customers in Pakistan. We are also delighted to welcome another high-caliber addition to Aramco’s growing network of global partners, and look forward to combining our resources and expertise to unlock new opportunities and further grow the Aramco brand overseas.”

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian nation.

In February 2019, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked investment deals totaling $21 billion during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Islamabad. The agreements included about $10 billion for an Aramco oil refinery and $1 billion for a petrochemical complex at the strategic Gwadar Port in Balochistan.

Both countries have been working in recent months to increase bilateral trade and investment, and the Kingdom in April this year reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion for Pakistan.