visit pakistan

salam ,
Mera Naam Imtiaz Ali Naaz Hai.Mera E Mail Eddress YEH Hai .shair_g@yahoo.com Hai.i am new user.

yaroo aghar ic donya main maa na hotti .qasam khuda ki
yeh donya bhi itni khushnma na hotti
(imtiaz ali naaz)

honestly, its a lovely country, and when u go there u feel like u belong, especially if you’re pakistani :)

is there anybody from Chitraal and Kailaash i need some help about visiting for attending their annual Fair in Chitraal and Kailaash and does not know the exact date please give me complete info aor refer any site having all the required info …
Thanx in Advance

visas… and no longer in the area.

one day

Is to visit Pakistan. I have family that lives there: an uncle whom I love very much and miss because I only see him once every few years, three cousins I’ve never met but I’ve seen pictures and videos of, and an aunt I’ve never met as well. Plus, I’d simply love to experience the culture of my mother’s heritage and be immersed in a place much unlike my home here in the U.S.

My most lasting impression of this country will be the incredible friendliness and hospitality of its people. Completely the opposite of the perception one would get from all the negative media reports. It’s also interesting to note that most people that saw us thought we were Americans and still were very friendly.

We were a little nervous about going to Pakistan because of the frequent incidents of anti-western demonstrations, bombings etc… even my government’s travel advisory website (Canada) advises against going “unless you have critical or compelling business or family reasons”. We were however, going with a close friend who was originally from Pakistan and very familiar with Karachi. We would never have considered making the trip without him.

The majority of people we met on the streets and tourist spots were respectfully curious and eager to interact. We were also asked quite a few times if they could have their picture taken with us though my blonde, female companion was asked quite a bit more often than I was. It was usually women who asked and they would never have considered speaking to me directly… or teenage boys and they were understandably only interested in her. There was however, a respectful demeanor to everyone’s treatment of her which was very refreshing after three weeks in India. A young, caucasian woman in India gets stared at quite a bit, with a lot of turning heads and elbow nudges amongst friends as you pass, to the point I really felt sorry for her. She was uncomfortable to constantly be the focus of so much unwanted attention. In Pakistan there was none of this.

There were only two places on our agenda: Karachi (because that’s where our friend is from) and Lahore (for its cultural richness).

Karachi is not much of a tourist destination so there are not a lot of touristy things to do. This was more of a personal stop so that my friend could show us where he grew up. We did manage to take in Jinnah’s tomb, the small but beautiful Mohatta Palace museum and a camel ride on Clifton Beach. We also did a lot of driving around the city. Prepare yourself for lots of noise, unpleasant smells and the unsettling sight of mutilated beggars approaching your car at traffic lights begging for change.

Beggars in both countries is a tricky issue. On the one hand there is a moral obligation to help these people but also you have to consider that the money you hand over might not be going where you would like it too. We found the best thing to do is to find a local charity and donate a lump sum of money. In Pakistan most mosques and larger shrines have some sort of feeding program for the poor and will accept donations. This way you do not have to feel so guilty when face to face with a beggar.

Surprisingly, though Pakistan has fewer people and less wealth than India the roads were in better condition on the whole. The city was better groomed and there was art in public spaces. I was told this is mostly due to Musharraf’s military rule and tighter control of the funneling of money into public works.

Lahore, though still a large city, had a much more laid-back feel to it. Where Karachi is a city of commerce and industry, Lahore is a city of culture and art. The scope of architecture alone is amazing. The Lahore Museum & Lahore Fort are “must sees”... you can give the Shalimar gardens a miss unless you are into people watching. If you can manage to hire a car & driver (very inexpensive by our standards) the Border Closing Ceremony at Wagah is a very interesting spectacle. It’s about a half hour drive out of Lahore. Wagah is the only official land crossing between India and Pakistan and every evening honor guards from both sides take down their respective flags and close the gates on each other’s countries with much pomp, aggressive posturing, and patriotic cheers from the thousands of spectators in the stands on both sides of the border… and it’s all free!

Karachi and Lahore were fantastic cities to visit and I’m planning on going again next year. We never had any issues with security or theft despite my government’s dire warnings. Though as with any foreign place really, you have to be careful where you go (even within these two cities) and be respectful of your host country’s customs and sensitive to their culture. My only complaint is the lack of vegetarian food. To eat meat in Pakistan seems to be a status symbol that all restaurants cater to. A few times there were absolutely no vegetarian options on the menu and we would have to modify something or move on to another place.

To visit Pakistan is a surprisingly different experience than a visit to India. Each rewarding in their own way and both worth the effort.

i went to Pakistan about a year and half ago for 2 of my cousin’s weddings…there is someone in my family getting married every other month!! lol just kidding. But anyway, I was born in NY but lived in Pakistan for 4 years growing up. I love it there so much. I really want to go again.

Pakistan is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!