Immigration to Pakistan

Islamic Republic of Pakistan, commonly popular as Pakistan, is a county in South Asia. This is the world’s fifth most populous country with a population of 2.32 million and has the world’s second largest Muslim population after Indonesia. Pakistan has coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the South and shares border with India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest and China to the Northeast. Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan; While Karachi is its financial centre and the largest city.

Pakistan’s rich cultures includes the 8,500-year-old Neolithic site in Balochistan, ruins of Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley (Harappan) civilization of the Bronze age, ancient Gandhara civilization, etc. Today’s modern Pakistan has seen multiple empires and dynasties in ancient times like Achaemenid (Persian Empire), briefly that of Alexander the Great, the Gupta, the Maurya, The Mughals, the Durranis, The Omani Empire, the Sikh Empire, British Empire, etc. Pakistan is famous for its beautiful pottery, cloth printing (ajrakh) and mosaics.

Pakistan is known for its friendly people, rich history, delicious delicacies like Biryani and Kababs, favorable weather, lush green nature, adventure travel all possible in a very affordable budget. Over a million foreign tourists visit Pakistan, because they love and enjoy the tasty cuisine and the goodness of this land. They are also surprised by the unique blend of people and cultures and also the scenic beauty including valleys, highest mountains, snow lake, unexplored beaches of Balochistan and many more.  For Adventure lovers, Pakistan is a haven with all possible activities like Glacier Trekking, Scuba Diving, Skiing, Snorkeling, Canoeing, River Rafting, Parasailing etc. just to name a few. 

Almost 96% population are Muslims who are generally loyal to their culture, religious beliefs and friends. Job in Pakistan are mostly available at shops, cafes, bars and other small business. People speak the common languages like Urdu, English and Sindhi. There are many international companies operating here which gives employment opportunity to foreigners and expats.  In the past, Pakistan has been struggling with violence and terrorism and even foreigners were targeted, however, currently the situation is stabilized and the Pakistan’s military has a tight hold on the country to maintain peace and order. There are some unpleasant events such as car accidents, kidnapping, petty crimes etc. mainly due to its heavy population. So if you a visitor in Pakistan it is suggested to be ever cautious while roaming on the streets of Pakistan.

Traveling information 

In spite of being top in the news for terrorism, earthquakes and floods, Pakistan has become popular with foreign tourists because of its breathtaking scenic beauty and ancient sites. Millions of Visitors and Tourist visit each year from different parts of the world especially from the UK, US, China and India. Travelling to Pakistan is possible by Air, Water and Land from major world locations. Pakistan issues visas to Indians only to visit relatives, families or for any other legitimate reasons. 

By Air:

There are twelve international airports which operates flights to major cities around the world. The three major international airports are Allama Iqbal International Airport, Islamabad Benazir Bhutto International Airport and the Karachi Jinnah International Airport. PIA or Pakistan International Airlines is the official and the biggest airliner of the country. It servers around 25 international destinations across Asia, Middle East, North America and Europe. PIA has direct flights from London, Manchester and Birmingham. Etihad, Emirates, Gulf Air and Kuwait Airways has indirect flights to Pakistan. There are no direct flights from India to Pakistan and vice versa, passengers have to take a flight to a third country to travel to the neighboring country. 

By Land or Rail:

There is a Train service from Pakistan to Zahedan in Iran. However, it is advisable to check from the government travel agency if foreigners are permitted to travel.

The Wagah Border is an army outpost on Indo-Pak border. It is located 24 km from Lahore, Pakistan and 32 Km from Amritsar, India. Its Indian name is Attari and is the only crossing point open to foreigners to travel by land between Pakistan and India. There is a train service from Lahore to Delhi through Wagah, however currently is not in operation since December’2022. 

The China-Pakistan border is known as the Khunjerab Pass. It is the highest paved international border crossing in the world located 4,693 meters high in the Karakoram mountains. The border is closed on weekends, on Chinese/Pakistanis holidays and also in winter when its covered with snow especially from November to March. There are shuttle buses offered by NATCO and Hunza-Xinjiang Trading Company between Taskurgan in China and Sost in Pakistan, which is a 6-hour drive. Travellers with own vehicles will cross with the convey of buses.

There are no open border crossing to Pakistan from Afghanistan and Tajikistan. 

By Water:

Pakistan has many sea ports used for commercial and military ships. There are no passenger’s ships or ferries to and from Pakistan. 

To find out how to travel within Pakistan, please visit: worldnomads.com

Languages 

Urdu is official language Pakistan and is spoken by nearly 8% of the total population. Urdu is a compulsory subject in all Urdu and English medium schools. English is the second official language spoken in Pakistan mostly used for inter-communication between different language speaking people. All official business in Pakistan is bilingual. English is used in legislative, judicial and some extent in the officers ranks of the armed forces. Initially the Pakistani’s constitution was written in English and later translated in local language. Along Urdu, English is used extensively as a medium of instruction in Schools, Colleges and Universities. 

Other Ethnic languages spoken in Pakistan are: 

• Punjabi – 44%
• Pashto – 18.24%
• Sindhi – 14.57%
• Saraiki – 12.19%
• Balochi – 3.02%
• Hindko – 2.24%
• Brahui – 1%
• Burushaski and other – 8%

There are several other languages spoken in Pakistan by tourists, immigrants, visitors as a result this country is considered as a multilingual country. Foreign languages are Persian, Arabic, Bengali and English. Pakistani Sign Language in Urdu is used for communication by the deaf and mute population in Pakistan, plus there are 60 other local languages with approximate million speakers.