Three military-affiliated universities in Pakistan temporarily closed in Islamabad on Monday due to security threats, a police source said.
Pakistan, which is preparing to hold parliamentary elections on February 8, has faced a sharp increase in attacks for several months, but they remain largely confined to the country's far west.
An Islamabad police official told AFP on condition of anonymity that three universities in the capital linked to the army, navy and air force had been “closed due to potential threats”.
“For security reasons (…) all professors and staff, with the exception of essential security and administrative personnel, will work from home,” also announced a notice sent to Bahria University students and consulted by AFP.
In particular, in Islamabad and in the northwest of the country on the border with Afghanistan, several thousand members of the security forces must be deployed as reinforcements for the elections.
Pakistan has been facing deteriorating security for several months, especially since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, especially in these regions bordering Afghanistan.
Islamabad believes some of these attacks are being planned from Afghan soil where the attackers have “sanctuaries,” something Kabul denies.
Attacks also occur frequently in the province of Baluchistan (southwest), which has been rocked by a separatist insurgency for decades.
The province is rich in hydrocarbons and minerals, but its people and Baloch rebels believe it is being marginalized and deprived of its natural resources.