CHITRAL: A German tourist, who has travelled to Chitral driving his own vehicle from his country, says that the scenic beauty of the district and the adjoining Gilgit-Baltistan region coupled with ideal peace have made the northern parts of Pakistan a ‘paradise for the tourists’ and that he was going back with a positive image of the country.

Talking to mediapersons here on Friday, Josef, a 28-year-old motor mechanic, said he had started his journey from his hometown of Bayreuth on June 10. He said he drove through a number of countries before entering Pakistan through Taftan area of Balochistan from Iran. He said he travelled through Austria, Hungry, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia and Armenia.

“From Quetta, I proceeded to India via Lahore and Amritsar and returned back to Islamabad after a weeklong stay there and started for the northern parts of Pakistan through Abbottabad and visited Hunza valley and Skardu before coming to Chitral via Shandur Pass a week ago.

The valley of Chitral is full of beautiful landscapes which I always wished to visit. This scenic beauty of the district made me to stay here and go to different valleys like Bumburate, Rumbur and Birir where Kalash people lived, he said. “I did not want to miss the ‘Pul’ festival of Kalash scheduled for Oct 15.”

My next destination is Swat valley and its tourist resorts; from where I will return to Germany through the shortest possible route and will bypass more than half of the countries which I travelled before reaching here,” he said.

Josef said he wandered in any part of the country without an iota of fear while in India he had grown weary of the behaviour of security forces.

“It is due to the peaceful atmosphere prevalent in Pakistan that I intend to return here with my family and friends,” he said, adding in the outer world, the general impression about the law and order situation of the country was totally opposite of what I found here.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2018