On a trek from Karachi to Khunjerab, this travel enthusiast aims to serve Pakistan’s tourist landscape

Amir Warraich, a US-based engineer, will document historical landmarks to attract foreign investment

KARACHI: Amir Shahzad Warraich, primarily an IT engineer and educationist based in the United States, spent a good part of his life in Pakistan - his home country - until he acquired a student visa to the US after completing bachelors in electronic engineering from Dawood College of Engineering and Technology in 2004.

Yet, all this while, like many others, he failed to appreciate the marvels of nature throughout the country, otherwise largely considered impoverished, and its historical landmarks that have all the potential to captivate their audience, enabling them to revisit fantastic yet true tales dating back to the Indus Valley Civilisation in Pakistan’s south and to the Buddhist era in the north.

The realisation came late. But as they say, better late than never.

And as it dawned upon Warraich that Pakistan’s riches needed to be presented to the world, he set about to prepare for a journey from the country’s port city and financial hub Karachi to all the way up to Khunjerab, set amid snow-topped mountain peaks. On foot.

Walk for a cause or two

Walking through astounding yet unfrequented places in the country, he wants to show the world what it is missing, shared Warraich.

There is the historical Makli cemetery and the mystifying remains of the Indus Valley Civilisation in Moenjo Daro and Harrapa. There are mountains not climbed and valleys not explored. There are lush fields, mango orchards, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and the sea.

“I want to show this all to the world and present Pakistan as a complete tourism package,” he said. He plans to document these places through photographs and videos and publish them via various platforms, so as to “attract foreign investment for developing the tourism sector.”

There is a lot more to Pakistan than what little others know outside it. It folds in its multi-cultural fabric myriad languages and rich literature, diverse lifestyles and a variety of cuisines, all forming a harmonious concoction of uniqueness, said Warraich, which when introduced to the rest of the world would attract many an adventurous minds to experience all this first hand.

Besides, he also sees his endeavour as a means to raise awareness about the importance of environmental protection, planting trees and cleanliness among Pakistanis and hence, has titled the walk, ‘Walk for Clean and Green Pakistan.’

The journey to come

Warraich is set to cover 2,300 kilometres (1,450 miles) walking from Karachi to Khunjerab, starting February 3, a day after his arrival to Pakistan. Having chosen Mazar-e-Quaid as his starting point in the city, he estimated that it would take him about two months to complete his journey sans any vehicle.

He plans to cover the distance walking for around 33 miles - 11 to 12 hours - a day on a track that includes plains, fields and mountainous terrains.

“It is for this reason that despite being a habitual walker I am preparing to acclimatise myself with all that is to come my way during the trek,” he said. “I am practicing walking on even surfaces as well as on mountains.”

Perhaps the most difficult part of his preparation, though, was convincing his family. “They expressed reservations when they first came to know of my plans,” he shared, adding that when he told them how it would benefit Pakistan the family, including his three sons and a daughter, became as enthusiastic about the walk as him. “They are very happy and helping me prepare for the journey,” he said.

Sharing further details about the walk, he said, “it would be a journey without any vehicle.” However, a car would string along for the cameraman accompanying him and as a backup in case of any untoward or emergency situations.

However, Warraich is still not too certain about the expenditure. Being on an unpaid vacation from work, he reckons it will add up to a considerable cost, adding that the total expenses depended on various factors such as whether he opted to stay in an inn or put up a camp. However, he assured, “One of my videos after this journey will cover this aspect too.”

Every ending is a new beginning

At the journey’s end, Warraich sees himself returning back to his routine life in the US, as well as managing various blogs, YouTube channels and other online platforms, including TechBrothersIT, Pakistani Students in USA, SQL Server DBA (USA), SQL Server Integration Services, SQL Server Reporting Services and Baba Jee Farm, aimed at providing assistance to Pakistani students looking to pursue studies abroad and guidance in other areas.

However, he expressed the hope that the end would contribute to a new beginning for Pakistan’s tourism industry.

“The tourism industry in Pakistan has a lot of potential and the videos I will publish at the end of my walk will help attract foreign investment and that from Pakistanis settled abroad, which will help strengthen tourism infrastructure in the country,” he said.

 

This story is part of a weekly series that seeks to bring to light the unsung heroes of Karachi - the hawkers, traders, doctors, teachers, engineers, lawyers and daily-wage labourers. It is they who make Karachi the city of lights.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2020.