UN chief, now in Kabul, has no plans to visit Pakistan

UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in Kabul, has no plans as of now to
make a side trip to Pakistan, as the U.N. announced sharp reduction in its international staff based in
the country's northweatern region.
"So far he has no plans to go to Islamabad," his spokesperson Michele Montas said while
responding to questions at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
Ban arrived unannounced in Kabul Monday to meet with United Nations staff and Afghan officials,
following a deadly attack last week that killed five of the world body’s staff and injured several others.
Asked why the Secretary-General did not make a similar trip when the World Food Programme
(WFP) office in Islamabad was bombed last month to express solidarity with the UN victims, the
spokesperson said the head of the concerned agency had made a visit in the wake of the attack.
Questioned if the secretary-general considered Pakistan to be more dangerous than Afghanistan,
she said that the secretary-general does not look at the situation in that manner, and that he was
equally concerned over the victims of the attacks in Islamabad and Kabul.
The spokesperson also said while cutting back on international staff in northwestern Pakistan, the
UN will continue its humanitarian operations in the region under strengthened security measures.
"Following a decision by the Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon), the presence of international staff in
northwestern Pakistan has been reduced to those
staff who are vital for emergency, humanitarian relief or security
operations, among other essential operations," Ms. Montas said.
"All other international UN Staff who were involved in the running of program activities will be
relocated out of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA)."
She said that security measures will be enhanced for staff that will continue their work in those areas.
  "The United Nations is committed to providing development and
humanitarian assistance to the people of Pakistan," the spokesperson said. "It will continue to work
in the areas where help is required."