why are people afraid to visit pakistan ?

[VCheng]

A few pakistani poster here have expressed concern about their own safety when they visited pakistan. Its not terrorism but general violence(like carjacking, robbery, gang violence) that is scary.

Not really. Those issues are there, but not to the extent some people portray here. Common sense precautions are all that are needed for Pakistan, just like any other developing country, for expatriates on visits "back home". In fact, having good local contacts often make for some very nicely privileged trips.

 

[Djinn]

Safety and security are not the only issues plaguing Pakistani tourism there is lack of infrastructure and successive governments have always been ignorant of the tourism industry and it's potential. Two years back i had to travel to Gilgit from Islamabad airport and i literally had to be at the airport for one whole week before i got to Gilgit. Day one they sent my luggage to Karachi, day two the plane was reserved for some VIP, day three plane encountered a problem, day four plane didn't arrive, day five almost 20mins away from Gilgit and the plane turned back to Islamabad due to bad weather, day six bad weather flight cancelled even before boarding and day seven i finally managed to reach Gilgit. Now just imagine if such treatment is meted out to the international tourists why would they come. Tourism requires a lot of attention, planning, development and creativity which sadly for Pakistani governments has never been a priority.

 

[Musafir117]

If Pakistan is that much dangerous how all the PDF members from Pakistan are alive ??
Living in Karachi never saw target killing or bomb blast not to mention Karachi was second dangerous city in the world in 2014.

The situation is much better then before I still not allowed to walk free or go alone even shopping or meet friends relatives etc Specially at night. My elder sister get robbed on gun point when she with other relatives were on the way to pray at my Mother's grave in day light. Fear of kidnaping always on alert Pakistani visiting Pakistan I have two or three confirm reports the persons in I know go through this scary incident and ended up with a huge amount. But situation is much better than before.

 

[khanz]

can pakistan take follow israel who is a master at propaganda and use it to show positive experience of pakistan there lots of pakistanis getting well known recently zayn malik is really high profile right now he is pakistani and even supports pakistani cricket team angelina jolie has been to pakistan multiples times an expressed her love or it even shah rukh khan is very friendly to pakistan why not formally invite these people and give them full tour of pakistan to see modern cities, natural beauty and historical and cultural sites too instead of just refugee camps and disaster struck areas and there's lots of pakistani actors/actresses are also getting well known can we get them to do some pro pakistani buzz ?

look at that humans of NY guy he did wonders for pakistan just a few stories and pictures from the country such a huge impact first time i seen so much love and enthusiasm from foreigners to visit pakistan

The situation is much better then before I still not allowed to walk free or go alone even shopping or meet friends relatives etc Specially at night. My elder sister get robbed on gun point when she with other relatives were on the way to pray at my Mother's grave in day light. Fear of kidnaping always on alert Pakistani visiting Pakistan I have two or three confirm reports the persons in I know go through this scary incident and ended up with a huge amount. But situation is much better than before.

yeah I know so many people in karachi who sadly have been robbed at gunpoint and some who have narrowly missed kidnapping and gunfire where as this sort of thing would be shocking or rare in most civilized countries.Gun culture is too much in pakistan.

 

[dexter]

The situation is much better then before I still not allowed to walk free or go alone even shopping or meet friends relatives etc Specially at night. My elder sister get robbed on gun point when she with other relatives were on the way to pray at my Mother's grave in day light. Fear of kidnaping always on alert Pakistani visiting Pakistan I have two or three confirm reports the persons in I know go through this scary incident and ended up with a huge amount. But situation is much better than before.

Yar i agree street crime is still going on and believe me even travelling at night never encountered a situation like this Alhamdulilah.
Since due to operation law and order situation is better but street crime is getting high day by day.

 

[zootinali]

@Zibago and incidence like these :-
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1106574...s-combination-of-guards-and-guns-at-teashops/

In my country not even police carry guns sometimes and nobody will ever get away by shooting someone like these. Why do citizens need to carry guns and a private army ?
In the article ,people are talking about taking revenge and all , what the local police is doing ?

 

[Zibago]

@Zibago and incidence like these :-
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1106574...s-combination-of-guards-and-guns-at-teashops/

In my country not even police carry guns sometimes and nobody will ever get away by shooting someone like these. Why do citizens need to carry guns and a private army ?
In the article ,people are talking about taking revenge and all , what the local police is doing ?

Guns are a sign of status and power if you are rich than buying fancy foreign guns is one way to show off

Politicians and influentials in Pakistan have massive armies of armed guards i can hire two guards armed with shootguns for as little as 40-50,000 a month
Guns are common in Pakistan

Shootouts are more common in US and Latin America than in Pakistan

 

[F86 Saber]

Being at a job where i have to travel a lot as well as entertain a lot of foreigners, i can give my two cents. Firstly, Pakistan is not the worst place when it comes to street crimes, you are as likely to get mugged in downtown Frankfurt, Barcelona, Paris, Istanbul, Milan as you are in Karachi, i would go as far as saying Lahore is much safer than these cities. I remember my Italian colleague asking me to take off my watch and put it in my pocket when he was dropping me off at Naples railway station, i remember my French colleague telling me not to travel in the subway after 9 PM when i visited Paris for the first time, a friend of mine got robbed at knife point in Barcelona, the hell he went through as hey took his passport as well, the fact that my German colleague asks me to always put my lap top bag in the trunk as there is a chance someone would break the car window to take it, you are very likely to loose a car window and your expensive sound system if you leave your car parked outside in downtown Amsterdam. I have heard similar stories from my friends living in UK and USA. And these are all big cities, i am not even talking about South of Italy, North of France, East Germany and countries of Eastern Europe.

When it comes to entertaining guests in Pakistan, just yesterday i asked a Swiss lady visiting Lahore for the first time how she felt and she said that she was very pleasantly surprised with the developed infrastructure and cleanliness in fact If i had a nickle for every time a foreigner told me they had very different views before and after visiting Pakistan, i'd be a rich man. Proof that they don't only say that to my face is that after the first visit they never hesitate to come back.

To my Pakistani friends especially the ones living abroad or the ones who are in contact with Foreigners, please stop thinking and saying Pakistan is not safe, besides the Taliban threat which is now somewhat over exaggerated, Pakistan is a beautiful country with warm hearted and nice people and worth visiting.

Being at a job where i have to travel a lot as well as entertain a lot of foreigners, i can give my two cents. Firstly, Pakistan is not the worst place when it comes to street crimes, you are as likely to get mugged in downtown Frankfurt, Barcelona, Paris, Istanbul, Milan as you are in Karachi, i would go as far as saying Lahore is much safer than these cities. I remember my Italian colleague asking me to take off my watch and put it in my pocket when he was dropping me off at Naples railway station, i remember my French colleague telling me not to travel in the subway after 9 PM when i visited Paris for the first time, a friend of mine got robbed at knife point in Barcelona, the hell he went through as hey took his passport as well, the fact that my German colleague asks me to always put my lap top bag in the trunk as there is a chance someone would break the car window to take it, you are very likely to loose a car window and your expensive sound system if you leave your car parked outside in downtown Amsterdam. I have heard similar stories from my friends living in UK and USA. And these are all big cities, i am not even talking about South of Italy, North of France, East Germany and countries of Eastern Europe.

When it comes to entertaining guests in Pakistan, just yesterday i asked a Swiss lady visiting Lahore for the first time how she felt and she said that she was very pleasantly surprised with the developed infrastructure and cleanliness in fact If i had a nickle for every time a foreigner told me they had very different views before and after visiting Pakistan, i'd be a rich man. Proof that they don't only say that to my face is that after the first visit they never hesitate to come back.

To my Pakistani friends especially the ones living abroad or the ones who are in contact with Foreigners, please stop thinking and saying Pakistan is not safe, besides the Taliban threat which is now somewhat over exaggerated, Pakistan is a beautiful country with warm hearted and nice people and worth visiting.

 

[Arsalan]

Those are only headlines, it is the regular stuff that matters more: airline connections, good, safe and clean hotels, ease of transport, hygienic food and water.

and marketing!!
What are we actually doing to promote tourism? These things like airline connections, hotels, food and water etc are co-related with tourism. No good hotel will open up in Soan Skesar unless they know there are tourists visiting all around the year or at least there is a good season. We need to do proper marketing, gradually increase the number of tourists that should gradually raise the standard of services we can provide. TDCP and PTDC were quite active some 8 10 years ago but that have all slowed down.

There are SO many places that we don't even know about or at least do not listen about on regular basis which are simple worth a visit.
Soan Sakesar:

Raj Katas Temples:

Among the WORLS largest fort, aka great wall of Sindh - Rani Kot Fort:

Sajikot Waterfalls:

and the list goes on and on!!

You must come to Pak, bring you bike, let me know and i will host you

 

[zip]

Fishing for criminals with baits is best way to stop crimes in our system.. If we are waiting for snake to bite before killing it then it's foolishness.. At present our law and order system is so much backward that building any meaningful society is almost impossible from there..

 

[Arsalan]

Being at a job where i have to travel a lot as well as entertain a lot of foreigners, i can give my two cents. Firstly, Pakistan is not the worst place when it comes to street crimes, you are as likely to get mugged in downtown Frankfurt, Barcelona, Paris, Istanbul, Milan as you are in Karachi, i would go as far as saying Lahore is much safer than these cities. I remember my Italian colleague asking me to take off my watch and put it in my pocket when he was dropping me off at Naples railway station, i remember my French colleague telling me not to travel in the subway after 9 PM when i visited Paris for the first time, a friend of mine got robbed at knife point in Barcelona, the hell he went through as hey took his passport as well, the fact that my German colleague asks me to always put my lap top bag in the trunk as there is a chance someone would break the car window to take it, you are very likely to loose a car window and your expensive sound system if you leave your car parked outside in downtown Amsterdam. I have heard similar stories from my friends living in UK and USA. And these are all big cities, i am not even talking about South of Italy, North of France, East Germany and countries of Eastern Europe.

When it comes to entertaining guests in Pakistan, just yesterday i asked a Swiss lady visiting Lahore for the first time how she felt and she said that she was very pleasantly surprised with the developed infrastructure and cleanliness in fact If i had a nickle for every time a foreigner told me they had very different views before and after visiting Pakistan, i'd be a rich man. Proof that they don't only say that to my face is that after the first visit they never hesitate to come back.

To my Pakistani friends especially the ones living abroad or the ones who are in contact with Foreigners, please stop thinking and saying Pakistan is not safe, besides the Taliban threat which is now somewhat over exaggerated, Pakistan is a beautiful country with warm hearted and nice people and worth visiting.
.

I second that!
I am in export business, have to visit different countries and have people from different countries visiting us here in Pakistan as well. Everything you said, from many foreign cities being even less safer to the reaction/feed back i get from the foreigners visiting Pakistan is all true as per my own experience as well.

 

[Gibbs]

As a visitor to Pakistan numerous times, 5 in a span of 7 years (As a executive representing a multinational lubricant company).. I think i have a fairly good experience as a tourist in Pakistan

The people are the best advertisement for Pakistan, some of the most friendliest and hospitable people i have ever come across, They wont think twice of inviting you to their homes for a meal or atleast a cuppa and this transcends every social strata

It's a beautiful country especially the area surrounding Islamabad, Unfortunately couldn't make it to Muree and the other mountainous regions that it's famed for

I have been to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore

The main issue i reckon for any visitor to the country is the uneasy feeling of security or the lack of it.. Especially in Karachi i felt it very strongly.. There seems to be a air of tension hanging about.. Lahore and Islamabad on the other hand were very nice cities, Like any other around the world

Security is and will be the only barrier for Pakistan to improve as a international tourist destination.. Everything else is already in place from stunning scenery to nice hotels and very hospitable people

P.S: Pakistani ladies in general are stunningly beautiful but you hardly see them in public spaces is another thing i noticed unlike many other places around the world

 

[Londoner]

I know non-Pakistanis who have gone for tourism and found it friendly and safe. The percieved danger is definitely a problem, but flights to Pakistan are also very expensive compared to India or Bangladesh for example.

 

[Musafir117]

An article related with mater we discussing @Zibago kitne gurard le kar jate ho chae pine?(*^^*)
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1106574...s-combination-of-guards-and-guns-at-teashops/

 

[Imran Khan]

because of load shedding