Safety in Pakistan: what overland travellers should know
Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 18 September 2025.
Safety
- Travel only if essential — Because of the general security situation and the high terrorism risk, the ministry says to limit trips to the indispensable ones, and anyone who goes does so on their own responsibility. Register your trip and your planned movements with your own embassy before leaving. Street protests are frequent in the main cities and, on those days or on dates the authorities treat as sensitive, mobile phone service can be suspended, which also cuts off any help reaching you.
- Permit areas (NOC) — Specific parts of the country can only be visited after obtaining a No Objection Certificate from the Pakistani authorities, because the security forces cannot control every corner of that terrain. The up-to-date list is kept by the Ministry of the Interior; check it through a Pakistani diplomatic mission or a travel agent who has actually consulted the competent authorities.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — Organised terrorist groups attack frequently in these two provinces, usually targeting the Pakistani security forces but often indiscriminately, so civilians and foreigners get hit. Foreigners are seen as valuable targets and can face opportunistic kidnapping, which is less frequent in the capital than in the border areas. The risk of robbery and kidnapping for ransom stays high in some parts of the country.
- Afghan border region — After the armed clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the ministry repeats its advice to avoid non-essential travel in the border region with Afghanistan.
- Northern regions and trekking — Given the high kidnapping risk in the tribal areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the ministry advises against excursions and trekking in the northern regions. Caution is advised for trips in Gilgit-Baltistan.
- Mountain rescue barely exists — Weather in the mountains turns fast, many areas sit against strategically sensitive borders, and international tension can delay or wreck a rescue attempt. The only operator able to fly helicopters to a serious accident, Askari Aviation, does not move its aircraft unless a minimum of 10,000 USD has been deposited in its local accounts, and without that deposit help can be days late; heliports are few and far apart and local hospitals are built for the military units in the mountains. Carry satellite communications, a satellite locator and a solar charger, and hold insurance that covers helicopter rescue.
Before you rely on this
This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 18 September 2025. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Pakistan before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.
Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 18 September 2025. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.