{"id":2625,"date":"2024-05-25T17:13:34","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T09:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/?p=2625"},"modified":"2025-05-21T16:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T08:29:13","slug":"the-wonder-of-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/the-wonder-of-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"The wonder of Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
With its unique seasonal allure, Pakistan is blessed with abundant tourist resources.<\/em><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

AS<\/strong> I set foot in my 138th country, my journey began in Lahore, Pakistan with Qasim Ali, whom I met there. Qasim had worked in Kuala Lumpur for 15 years starting in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite having returned to his home country 12 years ago, he still missed everything about Malaysia, including the family of his former employer who ran a floor-tile laying business in Kepong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of Pakistan\u2019s total population of 240 million, approximately 12 million Pakistanis are employed in various jobs around the globe.25<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their efforts have been instrumental in addressing the severe labour shortages in international markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the tourism industry in Pakistan has started to take off in the past three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world\u2019s second largest Muslim country has become an emerging destination for adventure-seekers from Greater China and South-East Asia, including Malaysians!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The seat of the Moghul Empire and capital of Punjab during the colonial times, Lahore is today Pakistan\u2019s second largest city with a population of 10 million. \u2013 Photos: Handout<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan, with its unique seasonal allure, is blessed with abundant tourist resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bordering six other countries and spanning 990 km of coastline along the Indian Ocean, the country boasts remarkable geographical features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among them is K2, the world\u2019s second-highest peak, towering at 8,611m within the Karakoram Range. Additionally, Pakistan is renowned for the Khewra Salt Mine, the world\u2019s second-largest salt mine, celebrated for its Himalayan salt deposits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, Pakistan encompasses much more than meets the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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English newspapers on sale at an Islamabad newsstand. English is an official language in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The daily 5.25pm flag-lowering ceremony at the Punjabi town of Wagah Border, bordering India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leesan and Qasim ali, (left), who speaks fluent Bahasa Malaysia, and misses everything in Malaysia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past two millennia, the country has experienced the rule of six different dynasties, including a 90-year period under British colonial rule from 1858 to 1947, which has left behind a rich historical legacy. Combined with its stunning natural scenery, this diverse history has contributed to the development of a profound cultural heritage that beckons exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a travel professional, my focus during this trip was actually on exploring aspects of the country\u2019s urban culture and civilisation that average travellers might be less inclined to try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be honest with you, I was keen to get a better understanding of the unique characteristics of the country\u2019s four major ethnic communities, and was more than willing to discover their cultures and culinary customs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such, I opted to venture into the predominantly Punjabi second city of Lahore, as well as Islamabad, the capital city designed by the Greeks in 1960.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, I had the opportunity to observe the day-to-day urban life of old Pakistan, which was incredibly orderly, lush with greenery, and leisurely paced!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior marketing director Syed, who specialises in land operations, explained that the 700,000 Memon people (a Muslim community) are adept managers of the country\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does a country with a massive population of 200 million need to exert much more effort to feed its people compared to one with a much smaller population? Not necessarily!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan benefits from relatively fertile land, resulting in self-sufficiency in food production for its people. Additionally, due to the country\u2019s demographic dividend, foreign investors are also eager to establish labour-intensive industries, such as the textile industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the low wages offered to workers here mean that millions of young Pakistanis opt to work overseas, ultimately contributing to the country\u2019s foreign exchange earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, Pakistan is a safe and welcoming destination for tourists, especially in North Pakistan. Its spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons provide a variety of experiences that highlight the region\u2019s natural beauty and cultural richness year-round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A woman carries an umbrella on a bike along a street during rain showers in Islamabad. \u2013 AFP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Students buy shaved ice cups from a street vendor in Lahore. \u2013 AP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With its unique seasonal allure, Pakistan is blessed with abundant tourist resources. AS I set foot in my 138th…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[18,30,28,48,20],"class_list":{"0":"post-2625","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leesan","8":"tag-applevacationsmy","9":"tag-leesan","10":"tag-newspaper","11":"tag-the-star-travel-gab","12":"tag-travel","13":"cs-entry","14":"cs-video-wrap"},"featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/05255.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2625"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3122,"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625\/revisions\/3122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applevacations.my\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}