After I traveled to 90 countries, Pakistan became the most beautiful country in nature! Unfortunately there are still many doubts about going there because of the many negative assumptions about Pakistan. That’s why I like traveling , one of which is because I want to prove myself whether people’s assumptions about something are true or not.
I wrote this post based on a poll on social media about what you want to know or worry about Pakistan which is summarized as follows;
- The country is at war?
Pakistan has been independent from Britain since 1947 and after its constitution was changed it became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan since 1956. Since the partition of Pakistan-India in 1947, the two countries have been at loggerheads to this day. The main source of the conflict is the territorial issue of Kashmir: India with Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan with Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir – they claim each other’s territory belongs to one country. If you are in that area, the issue between countries is very sensitive, so don’t let it be thrown out okay?
I myself was nervous when the Jakarta-Bangkok-Lahore flight ticket was canceled because of airspacestill closed due to high tension between Pakistan and India since the incident on February 26, 2019. We had to change tickets with a long route to Jakarta-Doha-Lahore because planes were not allowed to pass through Indian air if they wanted to land in Pakistan, and vice versa.
2. Poor country?
Based on GDP per capita , Pakistan is still below Indonesia and India, but I have never seen poor people sleeping on the street or in cardboard houses. The aura of poverty in a country was felt when I went to Nepal, for example, but in Pakistan it was not. Never seen people begging, or aggressively forcing something.
3. Not safe to travel?
This depends on where the hell, so it needs proper research. Pakistan is very large, about the size of France. The problem is, in the west of Pakistan it is bordered by Afghanistan, which is in turmoil, so sometimes the neighbors get hit. While the existence of fundamentalist extremist groups that love to bomb is a big problem around the world, there is also Pakistan (as well as Indonesia).
So where are you going? If you look at the map of Pakistan, just divide it in two. The one on the right, starting from the province of Sindh in the south to the province of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in the north, is safe. On the left is the province of Balochistan which is currently to be avoided. Meanwhile, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) you have to be careful – it’s safe from Chitral to the east. This KPK is the area where Malala, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, came from. Because the Taliban forbade women to go to school, he fought back. Can you imagine how it was there?
My advice, focus on traveling in GB because the nature is the coolest so most local and foreign tourists visit. The best thing, in GB it’s the crime rateit’s zero because it’s safe! That’s why my route came from Lahore, to Islamabad, flew to Skardu, then traveled around GB by car until I returned to Islamabad. When he came back through the KPK, he even had time to stay in Besham City, but thank God he was safe. From the results of online
research , an outline of safe areas is depicted on this map:
4. Where should the army be escorted?
No! If you go to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), you can see a lot of soldiers. That’s because the region borders India, China, and Afghanistan. Second, GB is still an area of dispute between Pakistan and India. Third, the army is indeed in power throughout Pakistan – not only maintaining security but they also own many companies, from schools, hospitals, to road construction and cellular providers.
As foreign tourists entering GB, we must register at the airport or at the land border by filling in our name, passport, visa number, destination, and accommodation on a card. Don’t let it be lost because it will be checked again when the GB comes out. When crossing the border between districts there is a check pointwhere should we report ourselves? Luckily my guide was smart, he had printed on small pieces of paper with information about me, so all you had to do was pass it through the window without having to write it in the ledger – a huge time-saver!
5. Should women wear the hijab?
Absolutely not! Unlike Iran and Saudi Arabia which require all women to wear fully covered clothes, Pakistan is free! Most Pakistani women still wear traditional clothes called shalwar kameez in the form of trousers, tunic blouses, and headscarves which are placed on their heads and their hair is visible. In big cities, they usually just wear jeans and t-shirts . Just out of respect, I always wear long pants and sleeves. Only when I enter the mosque do I wear a long-sleeved shirt and a headscarf. Hey, if you’re a boy, please don’t wear shorts and a yukensi t-shirtin honor of Pakistani men, most of whom are dressed in the traditional blouse, tunic and trousers. I myself am anti-wearing local style clothes when traveling . After all, even if we want to wear local clothes, we’ll definitely find out that we’re not locals! So you don’t have to pretend to blend in , just admit that you’re just taking photos on social media, right?
6. Is the visa difficult?
Even though I rushed to Pakistan through the visa application process at the Pakistan Embassy in Jakarta, when I was there Pakistan provided convenience in the form of e-visa to 179 countries and Visa on Arrival to 50 countries in the world! What about Indonesian passport holders? Including, shay ! Hooray! Try it at https://visa.nadra.gov.pk/ If you need further information, please ask directly to the Pakistan Embassy at http://www.pakembjakarta.org/
7. Traveling in Pakistan is difficult?
Traveling to Pakistan is not for everyone, especially for family holidays with children. It’s not about security, but the facilities and infrastructure are still lacking. Electricity often goes out in the country, internet is slow or even non-existent, many roads are heavily damaged, and not all speak English. Please note, my Indonesian cellular provider doesn’t work in Pakistan and debit cards from the biggest Indonesian banks can’t withdraw money from any ATM in Pakistan.
If you are young, strong, and have a lot of time, feel free to use public transportation everywhere. I’m traveling alone and only have 2 weeks. Then you want to maximize your time in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is mountainous, so it’s best to take a road trip, so I used a car and a private local guide which was really good. If you need a recommendation, please just answer on the condition that you don’t bid crazy, okay?
But all of that will pay off with its natural beauty, the friendliness of the people (to the point that it makes you feel so good), as well as a very interesting culture and history!
