Places visited between 29 May and 6 June 2012 :
Dalbandin
Quetta
Sukkur
Bahawalpur
Lahore
Just about the whole time I was in Pakistan there was a continuous armed Police or Army guard with the group, both when travelling and while we were in hotels. They were friendly enough and were concerned with us being there and said often enough that a particular area was especially dangerous. I will admit that I did not personally feel threatened anywhere I travelled in Pakistan even seeing guns carried by the local population in the streets and with the forces guarding us.
In Dalbandin I was not allowed to walk from the hotel to a shop next door without an escort.
We were told that there was a 6pm to 6am curfew in Quetta as this town was considered to be a Taliban stronghold. It appeared that this was not strictly adhered to and I was out one evening until just after 6pm with most of the local population so it seemed and no-one made any fuss. There was a procession of youths with a Taliban flag one afternoon and the local people chased them away. The ladies were pursued by a group of people when they went to the bazaar but this may have been because they were European ladies, something not often seen there.
In Sukkur I walked the streets near the hotel and sat with the local men drinking tea and talking, with smiles all around. Some of the group ate in a local cafe in the evening and it was the same as being in any country.
During the one overnight in Bahawalpur the police did not want anyone to go outside the hotel grounds.
In Lahore I did walk the streets one evening and I would have said that no-one noticed that I was there. They were too busy eating or looking for somewhere to eat. Lahore was very hot and this put most of the group off from walking round.
Everyone I met was very friendly and cups of tea were freely offered with a seat to sit on while drinking. This was so whether or not they spoke any kind of English with some things being done without payment and with the comment ‘You are a guest on my country’. One comment made was that they were friends with the UK but were not friends with America! The most telling remark I believe was from a student after I had been talking to him while walking down the street, and which was ‘Thank you for not dis-regarding me’. I do not know if he expected me to ignore him when he first spoke to me or if it had happened to him previously, but it did make me think afterwards and wondered if anything could be learnt from this by anyone involved in this country of Pakistan.
From the border until Lahore it looked like the people had a subsistence living and a hard one at that. Even the local towns looked poor though I do not know if we only travelled through the poorer parts of the towns, but I doubt it on the whole. Lahore was very different being a lush green city with plenty of water and a large number of very expensive properties.
In the two weeks since leaving Quetta two bombs have exploded there or nearby causing a large loss of life. The Americans have also dropped a bomb in the country with the resultant loss of civilian lives. If these had happened while we were in Pakistan there could have been serious consequence for the group. Looking back now, although I enjoyed the experience of Pakistan, short though it may have been, and having spoken to the Police and Army personnel I think that it was a foolhardy thing to travel in the country and I would advise anyone not to do so in the future while conditions remain the same.
Dalbandin
Quetta
Sukkur
Bahawalpur
Lahore
Just about the whole time I was in Pakistan there was a continuous armed Police or Army guard with the group, both when travelling and while we were in hotels. They were friendly enough and were concerned with us being there and said often enough that a particular area was especially dangerous. I will admit that I did not personally feel threatened anywhere I travelled in Pakistan even seeing guns carried by the local population in the streets and with the forces guarding us.
In Dalbandin I was not allowed to walk from the hotel to a shop next door without an escort.
We were told that there was a 6pm to 6am curfew in Quetta as this town was considered to be a Taliban stronghold. It appeared that this was not strictly adhered to and I was out one evening until just after 6pm with most of the local population so it seemed and no-one made any fuss. There was a procession of youths with a Taliban flag one afternoon and the local people chased them away. The ladies were pursued by a group of people when they went to the bazaar but this may have been because they were European ladies, something not often seen there.
In Sukkur I walked the streets near the hotel and sat with the local men drinking tea and talking, with smiles all around. Some of the group ate in a local cafe in the evening and it was the same as being in any country.
During the one overnight in Bahawalpur the police did not want anyone to go outside the hotel grounds.
In Lahore I did walk the streets one evening and I would have said that no-one noticed that I was there. They were too busy eating or looking for somewhere to eat. Lahore was very hot and this put most of the group off from walking round.
Everyone I met was very friendly and cups of tea were freely offered with a seat to sit on while drinking. This was so whether or not they spoke any kind of English with some things being done without payment and with the comment ‘You are a guest on my country’. One comment made was that they were friends with the UK but were not friends with America! The most telling remark I believe was from a student after I had been talking to him while walking down the street, and which was ‘Thank you for not dis-regarding me’. I do not know if he expected me to ignore him when he first spoke to me or if it had happened to him previously, but it did make me think afterwards and wondered if anything could be learnt from this by anyone involved in this country of Pakistan.
From the border until Lahore it looked like the people had a subsistence living and a hard one at that. Even the local towns looked poor though I do not know if we only travelled through the poorer parts of the towns, but I doubt it on the whole. Lahore was very different being a lush green city with plenty of water and a large number of very expensive properties.
In the two weeks since leaving Quetta two bombs have exploded there or nearby causing a large loss of life. The Americans have also dropped a bomb in the country with the resultant loss of civilian lives. If these had happened while we were in Pakistan there could have been serious consequence for the group. Looking back now, although I enjoyed the experience of Pakistan, short though it may have been, and having spoken to the Police and Army personnel I think that it was a foolhardy thing to travel in the country and I would advise anyone not to do so in the future while conditions remain the same.
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