ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday there was no issue with his country's general security environment after authorities in Canada imposed travel restrictions on its citizens earlier this week, asking them to "exercise a high degree of caution" while visiting the South Asian country.
In a travel advisory released on Monday, the Canadian government maintained Pakistan was facing "unprecedented security situation," adding that there was a "threat of terrorism, civil unrest, sectarian violence and kidnapping."
It advised its nationals to avoid all travel to areas within 50 kilometers of the border with Afghanistan along with several other places, including the country's commercial capital, Karachi.
"Pakistan has defeated terrorism and brought back peace after sacrificing 80,000 lives," Rashid said during a telephone interview with Geo TV, a local news channel. "Pakistan is a safe, secure and peaceful country."
He maintained he was not sure why Canada had issued such an advisory for his country, though he denied there was any terrorist threat to foreign nationals in Pakistan.
Canada has also asked its nationals to avoid non-essential travel outside their country due to the risk of the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
Rashid maintained Pakistan was home to people of various religions, sects and schools of thought where they lived in harmony with one another.
