The decision by British Airways to cancel flights to Islamabad reflected the general sense of nervousness and alarm over deteriorating security conditions in Pakistan rather than any specific intelligence about threats to Britons travelling to the country.

British Airways has a duty of care not just to its passengers but also to its crews who have to spend nights in hotels in the Pakistani capital before flying back to London. The risks were considered unacceptably high following the massive terrorist bomb explosion at the popular Marriott Hotel.

The threat level for British citizens visiting Pakistan is already high because of the unstable security situation and the general risk of both terrorism and sectarian violence throughout the country. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned British visitors of the heightened threats to Westerners in the key cities of Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar.

Britain’s intelligence services have been keeping a close eye on the terrorist threat in Pakistan, not just for British nationals living and working there but also because of the confirmed strong links between the al-Qaeda core hierarchy in the tribal regions of south and north Waziristan, on the border with Afghanistan, and radicalised British Muslims convicted of terrorist offences in this country.

However, sources indicated yesterday that there had been no raising of the threat level for Britons travelling to Pakistan. But for British Airways which operates one flight a day to Islamabad, except Mondays, the Mariott Hotel explosion underlined the risks faced for all visitors to the Pakistani capital. BA does not fly to any other airport in Pakistan.

The British High Commission in Islamabad is one of the biggest in the FCO’s portfolio of embassies and high commissions, with about 118 staff, and they will have been working at full stretch since the Marriott Hill bombing to update intelligence and security assessments to protect British interests in Pakistan.

BA which can call on the High Commission for advice, has so far cancelled two flights and will make a decision on whether it is safe to recommence flying to Islamabad later in the week.

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