U.N. closes Peshawar offices for 2 days

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations has decided to close its offices in Peshawar for two days in view of the suicide bomb attack on the U.S. Consulate General in the capital of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) on Monday.

However, country spokesperson for the U. N., Ishrat Rizvi, maintained that this would in no way affect ongoing humanitarian work undertaken by various U. N. agencies across the province.

“Only offices in Peshawar have been closed as a temporary security measure,'' she said; adding that staffers have been asked to function out of their homes. As of now, these offices are set to open on Thursday but only after a security review.

Last year also, the U. N. had temporarily shut down its offices in Peshawar after the suicide bomb attack on the Pearl Intercontinental Hotel. A U. N. staffer had also been killed in that attack.

And, last week, apprehensive of an adverse reaction in the wake of the presentation of the U. N. report on the former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto's assassination, all offices across the country were asked to remain closed for three days in anticipation of the report's submission.

With militants very often identifying the U.N. — which has a “big presence'' in NWFP — with the U.S., staffers working in the province have been advised to maintain a low profile and avoid using official vehicles.