UN dependents to leave Islamabad

by Sanjay Jha | October 3, 2008 at 03:56 am

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Worried with sagging safety level in Pakistan capital Islamabad, the United Nations has ordered its staff to take their children out of the country. Canada, Australia, the US, the Netherlands and Denmark all have a no-dependents policy.

The US has alredy closed down its Visa office and British Airways suspended its operation after attack on Marriott hotel.

Children of foreign staff working for the United Nations in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, will have to leave the country.
The move is part of new UN security measures following last month's massive suicide bomb on the Marriott hotel that killed more than 50 people.
The UN says the measure will have no impact on its operations. The UK announced a similar move on Wednesday.
The US says militants are threatening the existence of Pakistan as a state.
Meanwhile, at least four people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the north-west of the country.
Growing unease
The decision to move dependents of UN international staff out of the country "has been approved" by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN information officer Ishrat Rizvi told the Reuters news agency.
"It's a matter of only evacuating the children of international staff members which doesn't make any difference to the work of the United Nations," Ms Rizvi said.
Correspondents say there is growing unease about security in Islamabad after the attack on the Marriott, the city's most prestigious hotel.
British Airways has suspended its six flights a week there indefinitely.
The UK Foreign Office said on Wednesday that 60 children would be affected by its decision to move dependents of British staff out of the country.