Pakistan - Current Situation

[petcul]

I'm hoping to go from Iran through Pakistan to India and Nepal August/September. Anybody there at the moment and what is the situation following the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers?

[Hornet600]

ongoing thread here: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...pakistan-41215

I passed through several months back with 2 others. Seemed pretty safe to me but I wouldn't hang around in the south too long. You get a police escort in the south but you can get up to the north in a very short period of time. No escorts above Lahore by all accounts.

Ol

[Mombassa]

Don't look at the news, it's not representative. The real trick is safety in Zahedan (Iran), finding gas in Zahedan and getting to the border area. From Zahedan you will get police escorts, as there are serious tribal issues right around the area between Zahedan and the border. Once across the border, it's much more relaxed. Avoid the south and the Waziristan areas and you'll love the place. Stay in Karimabad, a LONG time, because it's great. Got to Minapin for great hiking to the Rakaposhi basecamp etc. One very nice hotel (cheap) in Minapin. 14 kms off the main road on the KKH.
Enjoy. I loved Pakistan.

[danielsprague]

Once again, the south of Pakistan is being blanketed as 'dangerous', when in fact there are far fewer 'dangerous' areas than in the north (have you driven from Chitral to Peshawar??) Don't tell me this is safer than southern Pakistan!

Have you been to southern Pakistan at all?

Why not visit the colourful tribal hindu communities and Jain temples of the Thar Desert?
Or go to the ancient capital of Sindh, Thatta, where you can see Shah Jahan's Mosque. In case you don't know, Shah Jahan built a rather famous shrine in Agra, India... what's the name again...?
Or see the world largest fort, Ranikot, just off the Indus Highway?
Or the carved tombs at Chaukkundi, outside Karachi, which rival any stucco work you'll see in Rajasthan.
Or the Shrine of Shah Abdul Latif in Bhit Shah, where hindus and muslims come to pay respects to one of India's great poet-philosophers, and listen to Sufi music, far better than those seedy, narrowly disguised drug orgies palmed off as "Sufi Nights' in Lahore?
Or the beautiful fishing towns and stunning beaches of the Makran coast?
Or enjoy Karachi, Pakistan's most vibrant and cosmopolitan city?

Unless you have been to southern Pakistan and felt unsafe, is it really fair to put off other travellers?

The major danger spots in Pakistan are fairly clear: FATA, southern NWFP (up to the Lowari Pass), Swat, plus some valleys in Indus Kohistan. This has started to creep into the extreme west of Punjab - DI Khan and Attock have seen kidnappings. Of course, you can be a victim of a bombing in any major Pakistani city.. but a few years ago about 3000 people died in New York when two skyscarapers collapsed - would that put you off going? The biggest danger in Pakistan, especially on a bike, is being hit by a bus / truck / car. Forget about the ocassional bomb, keep out of the no-go zones, keep you eyes open and you'll be fine.

Daniel

[TravellingStrom]

We have been getting heaps of text messages over th epast few days since the attack, basically along the lines of:

"The Police in Lahore have finally finished up counting all the spent bullet shells from the attack on the Sri Lankin cricket team

Result = 7/366

Cheers
TS