Hi All,
I am SEAD (a new member) and currently living in London, UK for the past 18 yrs. I have been lurking on this site for years and finally decided to join in. The primary reason of coming on here is to seek advice/guidance from the fellow members who are currently residing in Pakistan - as I plan on making a move back home!
I was born in Pakistan and moved here due to my father's job. I was 12 when I moved here so studied here from secondary school onwards. My immediate family are here and I am grateful to UK for the life I have lived here so far. Not wishing to brag or show off, but I am financially settled and can't really complain tbh - on the face of it, I have everything (house, car, job, family etc) but yet I don't feel at 'home' for some reason.
I have been contemplating a move back for a while now and believe now is the time to do it - within 6 to 12 months. With Pakistan's economy picking up and the future looking promising, I am keen on moving back sooner rather than later. The plan is as follow:
* I don't currently have a house in Pakistan but do intend to purchase one soon after my arrival. The areas that are of interest to me are F-6/7 or surrounding areas within these Zones in Islamabad. Though my budget is flexible, I was actually quite shocked when I saw prices of some of the properties online (10 crore+). Can any local members give me any advise, please? Are these prices shown online negotiable - and do houses tend to sell for nearer to asking prices or is it the case of sellers starting high and eventually settling for a more reasonable price? Is it just a case of having to be good at negotiating? Any advice/guidance is welcome on this topic. Although I would welcome views of everyone on here, I am particularly keen to hear from fellow members currently residing in Islamabad.
* The plan is to "test the waters out for approx 5 years". During this time, I will give everything to settle in ISB permanently but if the plan goes south, I will simply move back to UK & restart - though I hope it doesn't come to that.
* I plan on running a business whilst I am there. I currently run an online based e-commerce business here in UK and plan on doing something similar in Pakistan - though I understand the online market there is pretty small so I will be looking more towards a high street presence (Retail). I am also open to trying out other ventures such as Restaurants, takeaways and even considering Travel & Tourism (though I will need good local knoweldge in this). Whilst I am not expecting any fellow businessmen out here to let me in on their secrets, I would appreciate any advice and pros & cons to look out for and what sort of costs I can expect.
* What's life generally like in ISB? I have heard of some really positive feedback and from my limited knowledge, the city appears to be nice, clean, quite and pretty green with good access to local amenities. I know in other cities life is pretty hard for an average citizen, and issues with lack of Gas, electricity & water etc. Is it the same in ISB, too? What are the things to look out for? What's private education like for kids of 4 -10 years of age in a decent private school?
* What's the job market currently like in ISB? My Mrs works in IT sector and, as shes not used to being a full-time house bound (yet), she will struggle with boredom in general whilst there. So, she maybe interested in a part-time job just to keep sane lol - once again, any advice on this is welcome.
Now, in case any of you out there wondering what on earth is wrong with me and why I am so keen on risking a decent & comfortable lifestyle in UK and making a move that is clearly very risky - let me try and explain. I consider Pakistan to be my home & true identity. Granted there are loads of issues, but I am happy to face them and would rather live proudly live amongst my own - rather than be a "foreigner" abroad. With the expected arrival of our first child soon (Inshallah), I would want him/her to start their life there - ideally going on to serve in the Armed forces but that would be their decision, not mine.
Thank you for your time and I look to hearing from you...
Regards,