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Bring back tourism to G-B
I still remember how tourists, particularly foreigners, would openly wander around the streets of Gilgit-Baltistan before the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent start of sectarian violence in the region....
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Welcome to nature’s masterpiece
I once heard someone tell their friend, “The northern areas of Pakistan are truly heaven on earth.” Hundred percent, I said to myself in my head. Places like Swat, Naran, Kaghan, Shangla and Skardu...
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Pakistan could be a tourist’s delight
You may have heard some remarkable stories about Pakistan as a tourism hub from your parents and grandparents. The 60s and 70s, in particular, were the decades when tourism in Pakistan saw its prime....
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When in China, wear Hello Kitty and eat snakes
China reeks of bureaucracy and pork. Women are obsessed with Hello Kitty jackets and men with skinny jeans. They stare at you if don’t look like them, they stare at you if you don’t dress like them,...
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Backpacking across Thailand – on a green passport!
While our group of five was contemplating on whether to hit the Maldives, Seychelles or Bora Bora for our hard-earned annual leaves, a cursory look at our budget and the tempting rupee-baht conversion...
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Life in South Korea
May 2011, I came to South Korea with lots of questions in my mind. Truly speaking, back home we have heard about oriental countries, mostly China and Japan but rarely Korea. A lot of people may not...
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Samina Baig and Mirza Ali: Pakistan climbs Mount Everest!
Amidst the hue and cry about rigging in elections, the political topsy turvy and the mercury rising and crossing the boiling point, there comes good news for Pakistan. Samina Baig and her brother Mirza...
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South Korea: Why I prefer to live in the East rather than the West
After reading an article on life in South Korea, I decided I should add to it by writing about my own experiences here. I came to Seoul in December 2012, bang in the dead of winter. There was snow...
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Swat Summer festival: A summer retreat, to the heaven on Earth
The glaciers melt; the streams from them gush with fresh water. The Swat River and its tributaries spurt. The fruit laden orchards of peaches, apples, apricots and plumps bloom. The whistles of...
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Gilgit Baltistan: You have taken away our livelihood
Yesterday was a sad day for Pakistan. 10 foreigners, who were in Nanga Parbat to witness first hand the country's beauty, were murdered in cold blood, allegedly to avenge a death caused by drone...
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Pakistan’s murder: Aftermath of Nanga Parbat massacre
Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), a thinly populated area in the northern parts of Pakistan, is solely dependent upon tourism and agriculture for its sustenance. Commonly known as the mountaineers’ paradise on...
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Disney World the Korean way: The magic of Lotte World!
“I don’t want the public to see the world they live in while they’re in the Park. I want them to feel that they’re in another world.” This approach made Mr Walt Disney come up with the idea of Disney...
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Eid shopping and memories from Swat
Swat: I grab my white parrunay (veil) and handbag, and ask my younger son to hire a rickshaw for us. It’s the last week of Ramazan and my clothes for Eid are still lacking a lace here, and a button...
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Alpine Skiing and the two Pakistanis who made a new record!
Imagine yourself clipped into a pair of 216cm downhill skis, pushing out of the start and flying at 145km/h down a steep, icy slope. Imagine the snow conditions ranging from bulletproof ice to slushy...
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Katoora Lake: An awe-inspiring spectacle of beauty
Katoora Lake (also called Jaz Dand) is situated in the Lamoti Valley of Upper Dir, KPK at an altitude of 11,500 ft approximately. Most of the time, this lake is surrounded by high mountains covered...
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Childhood memories of India
In the early 80s my parents, who were both Indians, settled in Pakistan and got married. Yet, somehow they never left India behind and thus began our annual tradition of travelling to Rampur, India...
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From Palestine to Chitral: Miracles do happen
In an age in which reading or watching the news is enough to turn any normal human being into a raging lunatic or a hardened cynic, the smallest piece of good news is often like a breath of fresh air...
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Six of my favourite experiences while getting lost in the magical world of...
In my earlier blog, I wrote about the influx of Turkish dramas on Pakistani television channels. Ever since Urdu 1’s Ishq-e-Mamnoon shot to fame there has been no looking back. In fact, the Pakistani...
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In Malaysia, I visited a mosque – In Pakistan, I can’t
I am a Pakistani, but the first time I visited a mosque comfortably was in Malaysia. I was able to appreciate the house of worship without once feeling like an outsider, something I have never been...
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Getting high in Pakistan
I believe words do not suffice when it comes to describing the emotions that run through you when you’re standing at the foot of a mountain. The raw beauty and power of these mighty mountains make you...
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