Moreover, I travel for relaxation and enjoyment and to interact with the local populace, but guess what--if I have to worry about there being a militant checkpoint around every corner, or whether my innkeep or the waiter is alerting the local nutjobs as soon as I've checked in, I won't relax or enjoy the trip, or have any desire to deal with locals. So what exactly is the point of travelling to such places? To see some natural beauty? I can see that in many places. Just to say I went there? Sorry, not interested...[/QUOTE]

Pakistan is certainly not very predictable now a days. Maybe because of my familiarity it doesn't bother me much but those who get stressed up with these happenings should wait for things to improve.

It is challenging but if you take it in the stride it eases out. I travel all across the country with family without any worries. It's fantastic but comes with a pinch of salt. Let's hope it improves soon.

Cheers

I agree, we should look at safety ,especially if we are being targeted! , its common that keeps us alive :) sense

We were in that region the same time, we almost went to Fairy Meadows.
It's a real shame that a minority tarnishes the friendelest and the hospitality of the True Pakistan people, we loved our time there and would go back again in a heart beat.

Who to trust?
 

Obviously nobody and why in the world would anyone go to Pakistan and Afganistan today? There are enough oter places to visit in the world not to challenge fate. If you absolutely refuse to stay away, then expect to be shot.

Because Pakistan is incomparably gorgeous. Despite these unfortunate happenings, still it is much safer than many popular tourist destinations. I would avoid taking names here.

You wanted to know who would visit Pakistan? Me for instance, came back home and now living with 180 million fantastic people enjoying every moment here.

FOX News appears to have made strange impression on a few simple and gullible people.

Omar

Well said Omie. Some of the comments here are a disgrace to the forum. We're supposed to be travellers, citizens of the world, who try and engage with different peoples and cultures, esp those giving through tough times and needing friends from the outside world. Of course we should do everything we can to stay safe and avoid certain regions if they are manifestly dangerous - though there are those of us who choose to go to danger zones BECAUSE they are danger zones. But to talk as if we should abandon certain countries, turn our backs on them, because FOX news says so...that's totally against the virtues that attracted me to this site and community

why pakistan..
whereelse can you meet these marvellous friends.
Photos tell all.

Well, if you want to go overland between Europe and India, then Pakistan is hard to skip. This is why I went there in 2007, and I did not stay long, because I was a little bit nervous (there was a martial law put in place just a couple of weeks before I crossed the border from Iran). But I never had one single problem there. Everyone I met, was extremely friendly. In fact I later thought, was there any real reason to be nervous at all. Sure, there are some unsafe areas, but the police take good care of tourists, and you don´t end up in those areas, unless you do something stupid yourself. (And I think I was about 1000 times more likely to be killed in local traffic, than by some jihadists - in fact traffic was often really terrible!)

One thing I was really amazed of, is how different both Iran and Pakistan felt to me, compared to the view, that I´d built of these countries in my imagination (and it was mostly from what the Western media provides). I´m not saying governments, politics or extremist groups aren´t real, but they are definitely not the whole story.

Great post pecha. Pakistan and Pakistanis are wonderful. Every traveller should try and go there at some point, taking all necessary care, when required, of course

I'm sure that there are very beautiful parts of Pakistan, but as I've said, there are many beautiful places around the world. And I have no doubt that it has many wonderful people, but the same is also true of many countries.

I have little doubt that Pakistan is safer than media reports would lead one to believe, but it is a bit much to suggest that such reports are only from Fox News, or that anyone who doesn't dash down to Pakistan for their next vacation is simple and gullible. The incident that sparked this thread is an example--foreign tourists in a previously totally safe area suddenly subjected to an act of deliberate and random violence.