The Lost Lands of Pakistan

As a college student back in 2006, I had a new found interest in photography and was part of the photography society in college. We used to go on photography trips to the beach or to parks, to test our skills and experiment with different styles. At the end of the term, in the winter months we decided to go on a 5 day road trip to Tharparkar. 

This was an unofficial trip and other people joined us as well. I was excited as it was a chance to meet new people and I had never been to interior Sindh.

The next five days were one of the most memorable experiences of my life. We camped out in the open in Mithi, spent a day at the 200 year old Naukot fort, went to a thousand year old Bhadesar temple in Nagarparkar and even saw one of the oldest rock formations there. All these things were unknown to us before we actually went and saw them. After coming back I shared pictures with friends and family and all were equally surprised and as fascinated as me. Because they were unaware of the history and heritage at just a few hours drive from our home town, Karachi. 

We could not just stop here and went on to a few more road trips in Sindh and Balochistan to explore more in the coming years.

Pakistan is a land of varying landscapes, from the driest deserts of Sindh to lush green fields of Punjab, from blue water beaches of Balochistan to the highest glaciers of the KPK.

Its a land of many different eras of history and culture. A few of them widely known and a lot of them hidden, abandoned and unexplored. There is a dire need to promote tourism in Pakistan, for both domestic and foreign tourists.

As a nation, if we ourselves are unaware of our glorious past and our heritage, how can we promote it and let the world know about it? Yes, there maybe some TV shows and some blogs promoting tourism, but that is just not enough.

Foreign tourist numbers are shrinking at an alarming rate from 906,000 in 2008 to 198,000 in 2014, because of the war on terror and the worsening law and order situation in the country.

While our neighbouring country India, which has a similar history and landscape is the fastest growing tourist destination in the world recording the highest number of foreign tourist visits in 2014 of about 7 million people. This number has tripled in 13 years as they have been following a well thought out campaign called to promote their natural and cultural sites for tourists.

The Ministry of Tourism needs to chalk out a plan to promote our country, first to domestic tourists and then abroad to foreign tourists who also bring foreign exchange with them. This could even become a significant part of our GDP and provide employment opportunities to people living in both urban and rural areas of Pakistan.

I still have the wanderlust to explore other parts of Pakistan, and tell people about my experience! Because all of us can make a difference at an individual level.