Is it possible for a german to safely travel pakistan?

[Armstrong]

ha ha no, i wouldn't do that. I mean normal things, that i would not know are seen as rude there.

I would like to visit there, since im interested in other countries. I also would like to see Iran.

Then you should be fine...hundreds of thousands of foreigners visit Pakistan every year !

 

[Dubious]

All you hear in our news is terrorism, uprising and chaos and i wonder how it really is? I checked our foreign ministry and they issue a warning for Pakistan. They say as german you should avoid to travel there and only go when there is no other option. They also state, that if you go, you should avoid public places and trust no one.

Thats a pretty negative image drwan there and i would like to know what pakistani people think about that. I don´t plan to visit Pakistan, but out of interest. I visited other muslim countries for holiday (turkey and egypt) and did feel safe there.

Well, it depends which area you want to visit.. I am Pakistani but lived abroad my whole life everytime I tell my lecturer/ tutor or supervisor I am going to Pakistan they panic more than I ever feel the need to...I remember we had bought tickets to go to Pakistan and suddenly Musharaff had declared state emergency...well we had gotten the cheapest tickets so had bounced around from Thailand and the plane was Thai, full of white people and well, we landed safely didnt get harassed no fuss nothing...and that was when the state was in "emergency"...

Well, recently a Turkish PhD student went to Pakistan for a wedding of a good friend who is a Pakistani despite all sorts of stuff she heard....Apart from that I know a few German friends who either dont read the news or just dont care and still want to visit Pakistan...

As for what is considered rude...well read a little about it...Every traveler makes sure he/ she knows a little about the culture to keep out of trouble..

 

[airmarshal]

Pakistan is a great place to be. Just dont go to border areas, Balochistan these days. There, the situation is uncertain. As for cities, they are quite peaceful. If I compare which of the cities are safer, then Lahore & Islamabad are much safer than Karachi. In Karachi political violence does break out some time, but it is not dangerous still.

If you visit Pakistan, you will be surprised to see total opposite of what you see in the newspapers. People are hospitable, but you will also see shopping malls, restaurants and other places crowded with people. As I visit there every year, I see new projects, new roads and new advancements every year.

Being a Pakistani when I read newspapers, I fear the whole country is on fire. Its the way newspaper business is I guess. They just want to give a stereotypical view of the country. The view the people are familiar with.

 

[Not Sure]

ha ha no, i wouldn't do that. I mean normal things, that i would not know are seen as rude there.

I would like to visit there, since im interested in other countries. I also would like to see Iran.

Whatever you do, strictly avoid talking politics and religion.

 

[Manticore]

As we got independence right after ww2, our elders have a very high regard of the german race -- My grand parents use to say to me '' son, eat bananas -- germans eat a lot of them '' -- my great grand parents were officers in the british army


If you have a guide, he can show you around -- If you want to see the true colors visit lahore however if you just want to look at the materialist elite, go to islamabad -- Ive lived in both cities and would opt for lahore any day

Some women wear burka other wear jeans/t-shirts So women can visit aswell as long as clothing isnt revealing

 

[Secur]

what is the general opinion about germans in Pakistan? And how react people when i would do something that is considered rude there, but i simply don't know because i'm from different culture and don't know better. do they get angry?

That if it ai'nt German , it isn't engineered properly - but that is my university

 

[airmarshal]

As we got independence right after ww2, our elders have a very high regard of german race -- My grand parents use to say to me '' son, eat bananas -- germans eat a lot of them '' -- my great grand parents were officers in the british army


If you have a guide, he can show you around -- If you want to see the true colors visit lahore however if you just want to look at the materialist elite, go to islamabad -- Ive lived in both cities and would opt for lahore any day

Some women wear burka other wear jeans/t-shirts So women can visit aswell as long as clothing isnt revealing

In a way, we say that we couldn't have got independence if Germans had not weakened Britain in WW2.

 

[Manticore]

what is the general opinion about germans in Pakistan? And how react people when i would do something that is considered rude there, but i simply don't know because i'm from different culture and don't know better. do they get angry?

staring at women is considered rude , walking with shoes in mosque is considered rude, drinking openly is prohibited --- rest.. well, you are free to scream on the top of your lungs in the middle of the road and no one would bother

 

[BelligerentPacifist]

All you hear in our news is terrorism, uprising and chaos and i wonder how it really is? I checked our foreign ministry and they issue a warning for Pakistan. They say as german you should avoid to travel there and only go when there is no other option. They also state, that if you go, you should avoid public places and trust no one.

Thats a pretty negative image drwan there and i would like to know what pakistani people think about that. I don´t plan to visit Pakistan, but out of interest. I visited other muslim countries for holiday (turkey and egypt) and did feel safe there.

That travel warning would be issued to any Pakistani just as well Yet the chances of your life being threatened in reality wouldn't be much worse than traveling on the autobahn.

There's some German students in Pakistan already, working their way through grad research in Lahore and Karachi afaik, you could talk to them.

 

[Icarus]

All you hear in our news is terrorism, uprising and chaos and i wonder how it really is? I checked our foreign ministry and they issue a warning for Pakistan. They say as german you should avoid to travel there and only go when there is no other option. They also state, that if you go, you should avoid public places and trust no one.

Thats a pretty negative image drwan there and i would like to know what pakistani people think about that. I don´t plan to visit Pakistan, but out of interest. I visited other muslim countries for holiday (turkey and egypt) and did feel safe there.

Like all places, Pakistan has its share of problems. It is by no means the safest country but also far from being the least safe. If you, as a German citizen want to visit Pakistan, the question of safety largely depends on where you want to go. You may visit Islamabad, a good part of the KPK province, the whole province of Punjab and Sindh with complete assurity that the worst that can happen to you is that you end up buying handicrafts for about $3 more than what a local would pay for it. But trust me, you'll have a whale of a time. You'll be treated like you've never been treated before, if you allow me the use of an expletive, let me say that you'll be treated like the sun shines out of your back side. People will give up their places in lines for you, they will try to ask you how your trip is going in whatever words they can muster up, you will be invited by people to visit their place for lunch (something precieved as very fishy by westerners but its a part of our culture), you'll be offered complementary refreshments wherever you go.
I won't advise you to travel to FATA and Balochistan at the moment, instances of foreigners being attacked are rare but I'd leave these areas to visit another time if I were you.

Hope that helps, feel free to ask follow up questions.

 

[Rashid Mahmood]

I had been associated with a German company for quite some time and our German colleagues work here for work and pleasure all the time.

 

[MarkusS]

As we got independence right after ww2, our elders have a very high regard of the german race -- My grand parents use to say to me '' son, eat bananas -- germans eat a lot of them '' -- my great grand parents were officers in the british army


If you have a guide, he can show you around -- If you want to see the true colors visit lahore however if you just want to look at the materialist elite, go to islamabad -- Ive lived in both cities and would opt for lahore any day

Some women wear burka other wear jeans/t-shirts So women can visit aswell as long as clothing isnt revealing

That is funny. Your grandparents know our lov for Bananas? Its true...we do eat alot of them.

As for the rest, let me assure you, that i have NO negative image about Pakistan. I´m sure the people are nice. I never meet someone from Pakistan personal, but i think in general people are nice. I guess it really depends on the area, as you said yourself.

 

[Donatello]

If you visit Pakistan, just respect the locals like you would anywhere in, say, rural Germany. Don't discuss politics.

Other than that Pakistanis are more than welcoming to Europeans.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Read blogs written by people who have visited the country and you will get the idea.. God bless.

 

[Mugwop]

All you hear in our news is terrorism, uprising and chaos and i wonder how it really is? I checked our foreign ministry and they issue a warning for Pakistan. They say as german you should avoid to travel there and only go when there is no other option. They also state, that if you go, you should avoid public places and trust no one.

Thats a pretty negative image drwan there and i would like to know what pakistani people think about that. I don´t plan to visit Pakistan, but out of interest. I visited other muslim countries for holiday (turkey and egypt) and did feel safe there.

I went to a German only party once in Islamabad by mistake it was awesome.