US Consulates in Lahore and Karachi to Resume Services
The United States consulates in Lahore and Karachi are set to resume regular consular services from July 20, marking an important development for applicants and US citizens in Pakistan after months of disruption. The announcement was made by the US Embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday and is expected to ease pressure on people who had been waiting for consular access in two of the country’s largest cities.
According to the embassy’s statement, the reopened services will cover assistance for US citizens as well as the processing of non-immigrant visa applications. The move is especially significant for students, business travellers, families and professionals who rely on these consulates for documentation, interviews and other official procedures.
The Lahore and Karachi consular operations had been suspended in March following a period of intense unrest linked to protests during the US-Israel war with Iran. The closure affected routine services and forced many applicants to wait for fresh scheduling guidance or seek limited alternatives through the US mission in Islamabad.
The situation had become tense in Karachi on March 1, when protests near the US Consulate on Mai Kolachi Road turned deadly. Ten people were killed as demonstrators clashed with law-enforcement personnel, while security forces used tear gas and baton-charge to control the unrest. US Marines were also reported to have opened fire during the confrontation.
A separate protest in Islamabad also resulted in casualties near the Diplomatic Enclave, where at least two people were killed and more than 30 others were injured during clashes with law-enforcement agencies. These incidents prompted heightened security measures around diplomatic sites and led to a major reassessment of US consular operations in Pakistan.
Following the unrest, the US State Department ordered non-emergency personnel from the consulates in Karachi and Lahore, along with their families, to leave Pakistan on March 4. The decision reflected Washington’s security concerns at the time and resulted in a temporary narrowing of public-facing consular activity in the country.
The latest announcement comes after another major adjustment in the US diplomatic footprint in Pakistan. In May, the State Department announced the phased closure of its Peshawar consulate, saying its operations would be shifted to the embassy in Islamabad. That decision was described as part of a broader administrative review rather than a step directly linked to the Iran-related unrest.
For Pakistanis, the resumption of services in Lahore and Karachi could reduce delays and restore a more accessible route for visa applicants outside Islamabad. The decision may also help students and business travellers whose plans were affected by uncertainty over interview schedules, documentation appointments and service availability.
The coming days will be important for applicants as the US mission is expected to issue practical guidance on appointments, service categories and scheduling. With services due to restart on July 20, many pending cases may now move forward, although demand is likely to remain high after months of interruption.