Settling into our seats we took in the full horror. The TV monitors of yore were gone, as were the revolving seats and the seats themselves were fixed in a permanent ‘recline’ position. The toilets, and this before we had turned a wheel, were straight out of your nightmares and the newspaper man did not sell English newspapers because nobody was interested in buying them. Yes, we did ask. The ticket collector at least looked smartly turned out to say nothing of mildly astonished to find a gora on his train and, to my considerable surprise, the Shalimar Express ‘UP’ rolled out of the station at two minutes past six, or a whole two minutes late.
Matters improved. One of the joys of travelling Parlour Class for me was the grub. Quite simply the best I have ever eaten on a train anywhere in the world. The breakfast was never much to write home about but the lunches were sometimes of majestic proportions, and ours arrived spread across two trays and would have fed an entire infantry division. We rolled across Sindh and up into Punjab, no major delays and no dramas (my last trip by train was somewhat marred by a low-speed derailment) and we pulled into Bahawalpur at 6pm. The trip was two hours quicker than by bus, the ticket prices were the same as for the bus and the food was immeasurably better. The Corks will travel by train again, hopefully in a carriage that has been cleaned at some point in the last 20 years.
Which brings me to the point of this week’s musings. I came across an article by Peter Oborne writing in The Daily Telegraph, a UK newspaper, entitled “Are we wrong about Pakistan?” The article details a visit Oborne made to Pakistan and specifically how the country failed to conform to the stereotypes that he had expected to find fulfilled. He found himself welcomed, travelled freely and without hassle, and concluded that, so long as due caution was exercised and sound advice heeded, Pakistan was for the most part safe for tourists to visit. Oborne did not pull his punches and was realistic about some of the real dangers that exist here — but his point was well made and it is a perspective rarely voiced, certainly in the media outside the Land of the Pure.
This of course conflicts with the travel advice given by the majority of foreign missions, most of whom take a very dim view of their nationals wandering about un-chaperoned, and some even advise against coming here at all.
The Oborne article and a reflection on my own experience of living and working here for over 20 years led me to a similar conclusion. To be sure there are places you really really do not want to be going in Pakistan, but viewed in terms of the totality of the geography they add up to a relatively small area. The no-go areas are well-enough known and what dangers there are tend to be from natural events rather than being in the wrong place at the wrong time when things start to go bang.
Us who scribble for a living thrive on a diet of bad news. It sells newspapers and feeds a drama-hungry population — and completely masks the fact that there is good news, as in nothing much happening beyond ordinary life, going on all day 24/7. We travelled by train. Nothing happened. End of story.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (10)
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@nadeem: "The list of ‘Don’t go there’ is longer in Pakistan, but not that much longer."
Elsewhere in the world people are not kidnapped from their homes as happened to the Jewish NGO worker or for that matter kidnapped from their cars in broad daylight as happened to the Former PM's son or target of suicide bombers while they are praying as frequently happens in Pakistan,.
"Couples should not get on a Delhi bus late at night, remember last year?"
That happened in 2012 not last year. It seems much more recent because the issue has been kept alive by - Indian civil society who is keeping up pressure on government to imprve safety for women (the law has already been changed and several cities have implemented processes to facilitate safety for women traveling alone at night but more needs to be done). - by Indian media who is using this to change mindsets : blame the aggressor instead of blame and shame the victim.
You do not see civil society In Pakistan coming out to protest social evils such as abuse of blasphemy law or media providing unrelenting persistent coverage either though of course they are quite willing to come out in droves for political rallies.
I agree with Mr. cork, the filth in shalimar exp was unimaginable. Never travel by it again!
@Ranjha:
Left on time, arrived on time, good food, as cheap as a bus journey, not to mention quicker, no problems. Do you think everybody else is a stupid as you seem to be, and would not read the whole piece?
So yes, congratulations are in order to Saad Rafique, for a job well done. Long way to go still.
@nadeem: YOU should not have a problem in South Central L.A. YOU will easily pass for an indigenous local.
....now that was a pleasant change.
My felicitations to Mr. Chris Cork for letting people know all over the world the ground realities. Hats off to you & your misses for sticking around in Pakistan. You do us proud.
Don't go to Feguson, Missouri, when rioters are protesting a perceived injustice. Don't go north of 125th street in Manhattan after midnight, you will be mugged or killed. Couples should not get on a Delhi bus late at night, remember last year? Don't go to south-central LA any time of the day. And so on. The list of 'Don't go there' is longer in Pakistan, but not that much longer.
Chris Cork is simply affable. After causing the reader to anticipate that he was going to tell us something extraordinary, he amused by saying: "We travelled by train. Nothing happened. End of story." Delightful!
Been there, done that. Took the train just last September. While on vacation. From Cantt. Station Karachi, all the way to Lahore. No delays, no problems. Returned by Coach Bus. Comfortable ride. No delays, no problems. Some of the problems/issues blown out of proportion. Just be careful. Use common sense. Absolutely and Positively AVOID NO GO AREAS. Cannot stress it enough.
Settling into our seats we took in the full horror. The TV monitors of yore were gone, as were the revolving seats and the seats themselves were fixed in a permanent ‘recline’ position. The toilets, and this before we had turned a wheel, were straight out of your nightmares
Congratulations to Saad "rigger" Rafique for a job well done. Cork, uncork a bubbly to celebrate!