The United States State Department has clarified that the travel advisory in circulation regarding overseas Pakistanis is fake.

The department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs made the clarification via a tweet.

“We’re aware of a fake travel warning circulating,” the tweet said.

The fake advisory had claimed that the US had issued instructions to overseas Pakistanis, saying that they should travel to Pakistan on their US or Canadian passport instead of their National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP).

The fake advisory had claimed that travelling on a US passport would help people gain ‘benefits and facilities available for USA/Canadian citizens’.

The US issues travel advisories through the official website of the State Department. The last such announcement for Pakistan was made on May 15 when it was announced that daily appointments at the embassy had been cancelled and asked citizens to avoid large gatherings and unnecessary travel.