OK, that sounds like very bad news.

I imagine that you will need to be very persistent, and make multiple visits. Start at the Interior Ministry; try to search online, I have no recollection of Islamabad addresses as they are all zone / blocks, e.g. F/9 etc. I would be almost certain that nothing relating to Baluchistan will be done in Lahore, there is no logical reason why it would be.

Write a letter and state your requirement to transit to Iran (if this is your wish; do so at your own risk), stating that it is impossible for you to enter China with a private vehicle, and that it is forbidden for foreigners to cross the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan, so that there is no feasible alternative route for you to reach Europe. Keep your cool and don't mention shipping your bike / car. Pakistani bureaucracy is intractable, but Pakistanis are reasonable and ingenious people. This is not the UK's 'Computer says no' culture; sooner or later by making a pragmatic argument you should be able to find someone willing to stick their neck out and help you.

On the other hand, Pakistanis will almost never flat out say 'No' to you, so you might have to read between the lines, that being passed from pillar to post is a 'polite' and roundabout (and yes, frustrating and inconvenient) way of being told 'No' and that you need to start considering an alternative solution. It may well be that the German couple have been refused an NOC in Quetta and sent to Islamabad / Lahore just to get them out of the office in Quetta. I wouldn't be surprised if the first thing they'll be told in Islamabad when asking for an NOC is to go to Quetta!

It may well be that following the incident with the Spanish cyclist, the Pakistani authorities are basically banning foreigners from crossing Baluchistan. In that case, you have to look at alternatives. There is shipping, or China as an easy but expensive alternative. I made the case that I could not enter Iran due to electrions and problems issuing visas to UK passport holders, and managed to get to the Khyber Pass and into Afghanistan after making some connections. Alternatively, if you are determined to do so I can suggest some wild backroads which will get you into Baluchistan, and avoid Quetta. Once in the region, you stand a much better chance of being escorted out towards Iran, than towards Islamabad.

My last piece of advice would be to enjoy Pakistan. I am probably rather biased, but it seems like a good number of independent travellers (admittedly usually male ones) rate it as their favourite country. See as much as you can, from top to bottom. Just transiting this country from Lahore to Taftan would be a crying shame.

Oh, and the Islamabad Campsite is a great place to meet other overlanders with logistical woes!

Best of luck, keep me in the loop,

Daniel

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