India issues travel advisory against travel to strife-torn Libya

Amid a sharp deterioration in law and order situation in Libya, India has issued a travel advisory to its citizens, cautioning them against considering travelling and taking up employment in the strife-torn North African country. The advisory comes at a time when the official government in Libya has ceased to be effective and the capital city Tripoli is under the control of a rival faction, with its own parliament and administration. The rest of the country is under different feudal militias and the Islamic State.

The recent kidnapping of Indian teachers in Libya has been an additional cause of worry for the Libyan government. The travel advisory by India comes at a time when Europe is facing its biggest migrant crisis in recent history due to prevailing lawlessness in countries in west Asia and North Africa.

Libya has banned the entry of Syrians, Palestinians, Pakistanis, Sudanese and Bangladeshis. Rationalizing the ban, the Libyan government cited the overall security situation and a need to preserve “the nation’s security and stability”.

The official government of Prime Minister Abdullah Al Thinni runs only a small part in eastern Libya. The Thinni government would be able to enforce the ban at eastern airports of Tobruk and Labraq and the land crossing with Egypt.

The recent deaths of migrants while trying to cross Libya has also been one of the major reasons for countries issuing travel advisories to their citizens not to travel to Libya. Libya is the gateway to migrate to Europe for many Pakistanis.

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