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UN, Britain to evacuate children of staff from Pakistan
Updated at: 2015 PST, Thursday, October 02, 2008
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations and Britain said Thursday that they will withdraw the children of international staff from Pakistan in the wake of the deadly bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
The move comes despite increased security measures by Pakistani authorities after last month's attack, in which 60 people were killed, and reinforces fears that Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are destabilising the country.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan has faced a wave of suicide bombings by extremists based in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, while tensions are rising between Islamabad and Washington over US military incursions.
"The United Nations has raised the security level... which provides for the movement of dependent children," Fikret Akcura, the UN resident coordinator for Pakistan, told a foreign news agency.
"They can either go to a third country outside Pakistan or to their home country," Akcura said, adding that the UN would monitor the situation and would reduce the security level "when we find it is safe."
He did not say how many children would be affected.
In New York, Farhan Haq, a UN spokesman described the move as "a precautionary measure...so that the family members of staff, as well as some non-essential staff, can be relocated temporarily to other sites."
"All essential staff will remain on duty, and all UN work will proceed as normal," he added. "This is a temporary measure and the United Nations intends to return to regular staffing levels as soon as conditions allow."
There was no immediate comment on the evacuation from the Pakistani government.
The British Foreign Office said separately overnight that more than 60 children of British diplomats will be withdrawn from Islamabad over the next few weeks, the Foreign Office said.
They are all aged under eight, as older children tend to attend boarding school in Britain.
"Following a review of security in the wake of the attack on the Marriott Hotel, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has decided that the children of UK-based staff at the British High Commission in Islamabad should return to the UK," a spokesman told AFP.
Any dependents, such as spouses, could return to Britain if they chose.
UN, Britain to evacuate children of staff from Pakistan
Updated at: 2015 PST, Thursday, October 02, 2008
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations and Britain said Thursday that they will withdraw the children of international staff from Pakistan in the wake of the deadly bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
The move comes despite increased security measures by Pakistani authorities after last month's attack, in which 60 people were killed, and reinforces fears that Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are destabilising the country.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan has faced a wave of suicide bombings by extremists based in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, while tensions are rising between Islamabad and Washington over US military incursions.
"The United Nations has raised the security level... which provides for the movement of dependent children," Fikret Akcura, the UN resident coordinator for Pakistan, told a foreign news agency.
"They can either go to a third country outside Pakistan or to their home country," Akcura said, adding that the UN would monitor the situation and would reduce the security level "when we find it is safe."
He did not say how many children would be affected.
In New York, Farhan Haq, a UN spokesman described the move as "a precautionary measure...so that the family members of staff, as well as some non-essential staff, can be relocated temporarily to other sites."
"All essential staff will remain on duty, and all UN work will proceed as normal," he added. "This is a temporary measure and the United Nations intends to return to regular staffing levels as soon as conditions allow."
There was no immediate comment on the evacuation from the Pakistani government.
The British Foreign Office said separately overnight that more than 60 children of British diplomats will be withdrawn from Islamabad over the next few weeks, the Foreign Office said.
They are all aged under eight, as older children tend to attend boarding school in Britain.
"Following a review of security in the wake of the attack on the Marriott Hotel, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has decided that the children of UK-based staff at the British High Commission in Islamabad should return to the UK," a spokesman told AFP.
Any dependents, such as spouses, could return to Britain if they chose.
UN, Britain to evacuate children of staff from Pakistan
