Norway shuts embassy over security fears

ISLAMABAD - Norway closed down its embassy temporarily here on Thursday due to security concerns.
A foreign ministry official on condition of anonymity told that the general perception was that the embassy would
remain closed for the next two days but the period of closure might be longer.
He said that there were some security threats behind the closure, adding its staff would keep on working from
different locations.
Earlier, a Norwegian newspaper, The Norway Post, quoted the Deputy Director of Norwegian Department of
Foreign Affairs, Ragnhild Imerslund, as saying that Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad had been closed for
security reasons and it would remain closed on Friday also.
“The reason is the general development and evaluation of the situation in Pakistan as a whole,” Imerslund said
and emphasised that Thursday’s closure could not be tied with the last week’s disclosure of terrorists’ plans to
hit several embassies in Islamabad including those of Swedish and Norwegian, The Norway Post added.