THE Philippine Embassy in Pakistan has issued a travel advisory urging Filipinos to avoid certain areas of Pakistan-administered Kashmir following recent cross-border missile strikes by India.
The advisory, released Wednesday, May 7th, specifically cautions against travel to Bhimber City, Azad Kashmir, the Sialkot Line of Control (LoC), and any location within five kilometers of the India-Pakistan border.
The embassy advises Filipinos already residing in these areas to exercise extreme caution. The warning comes in the wake of a series of Indian air strikes targeting multiple locations across both the LoC and the international border.
These strikes were a response to an April 22nd attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 26 tourists, an incident India blames on Pakistan-based militant groups. India also alleges that Pakistan fired artillery across the LoC, resulting in the deaths of three civilians.
The LoC serves as the de facto border between India and Pakistan in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, a territory both nations claim in its entirety but control only partially.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that, according to information from the Philippine embassy in Islamabad, there are approximately 30 Filipinos in Sialkot, a city near the border. DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza stated that no Filipino casualties have been reported as a result of the recent military actions.
