My Trip to 'Misunderstood' Pakistan

Written by: Stefan Hofmann

I am the International Regional Manager (Subcontinent) at Education Centre of Australia. The views expressed in my articles are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organisation

I have been marketing for education providers for about eleven years now. For ten of those years I have avoided going to Pakistan. The avoidance was essentially from fear, a fear which is quite common within western countries due to the way in which the media portrays Pakistan. I fell into the trap of judging the book by its cover, believing what the media expects us to believe.

I just returned today and to be honest my perception of Pakistan changed from the moment I landed in Islamabad. I found the airport and its processes to be among the best in the sub-continent. It was clean, organised and efficient - having extensively traveled in the region, this is not always the case. In fact the opposite can be seen in other places in the region.

My "initiation day" in Pakistan did involve some anti-government protests. The only real impact was it took a bit longer to get from the airport to hotel. Well organised diversions were put in place but as an added bonus I got see some of the villages between the airport and central Islamabad, villages which I would not have seen on a regular trip.

From the moment I confirmed my trip to Pakistan the common phrase was "stay safe". At no point of this trip did I feel unsafe or under threat during my stay. The only exception to this was if you were to mention the agent that I was with who was trying to break a few land speed records on the excellent highways between Lahore and Multan.

The standouts for me on this trip: 

Wahga Border - I was lucky enough to be in Lahore for national holiday. On this day I had the privileged of visiting the Wahga Border. This was easily the most intense and competitive experience I have been to in my life - I have also visited the Olympics and Asia Cup final soccer - these events aren't close to what happens here. It is a ceremony but a massively competitive one - who has the loudest speaker system? who has the biggest flag pole? who can sing the longest? who can lift their legs higher when marching? and the list goes on. 

Highways - these are some of the best quality roads that I have traveled on in the world. Very efficient and largely future proof - unlike Australia they have built four lanes in each way to ensure the highway is good for today but also good for tomorrow. (always ask about the speeding fine budget of your host, this will give a good indication of how quickly you will get to your destination) 

Food - as you probably know I do like a good feed. When I travel I take my inspiration from Anthony Bourdain - no reservations. During my two weeks I didn't really find anything that I didn't enjoy, although it was a bit of a meat festival in Pakistan. 

Hospitality - The hospitality is very similar to other areas in the sub-continent, which is second to none around the world. As a guest you get treated like a king and people will go out of their way to accommodate any requests. 

Architecture - this ranges from the historical significant, traditional through to the ultra modern. I was genuinely expecting nothing particularly modern in the entire country, I was totally wrong. 

It is safe to say my impression of Pakistan has changed significantly from the impression that I had two weeks ago. I incorrectly judged the Pakistan by its misreported cover. During my trip I was asked to describe Pakistan in one word - the word which I used was "misunderstood". I now have somewhat of understanding, an understanding which doesn't now reflect the way that western media portrays the country.

As promised during a number of presentations at various universities in Pakistan, I will happily promote Pakistan from the perspective which I have experienced firsthand. This article is the first stage in the process.

If you do get a chance, please visit as you will be pleasantly surprised. I was.