Pakistani Ranger, immediately after crossing the land crossing from India to Pakistan
Supporters, fans and viewers on the Pakistani side for the flag lowering ceremony. Men and women are separated - this view shows the women's enclosure
Exciting the crowds for the flag lowering ceremony
Flags being lowered
Lahore - Government College University. I visited as my maternal uncle attended this for a few months before partition in the 1940's and wanted photos
This was the campus of a Hindu school or college as is apperent from the temple-like structures at the gate. It is now Islamia College. I tried to find out the original name of this school but nobody seemed to know - I got conflicting information - one of the names I heard was DAV College (which my Dad had attended).
Note the "Om" sign (sacred to the Hindus and Sikhs) - this is at the DAV Middle School, Lahore (now Islamic School #2) that my Dad attended
Besides my favorite kebabs, haleem was very popular with me for dinner. This plate of beef haleem plus the naan (bread) cost Rs 26 ($0.42). Food is dirt cheap in Pakistan
Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, themost prominent and prolific Sikh emperor in history
Sheesh Mahal (Hall of mirrors) at Lahore Fort
Badshahi Masjid, built by Mughal emperor Alamgir (Aurangzeb; son of Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal)
Am I that short...? Actually, this guard at a five star hotel at Lahore is almost 8 feet tall
Disfigured Hindu images at a former Hindu haveli, now a popular restaurant in Lahore (called Cooco's Den). This is not the only time I saw such disfigurement in Pakistani Punjab, as I did toppled or deolished pre-partition Hindu / Jain temples. Those that are not toppled or demolished have had their idols removed and have been occupied as residences. In contrast, I saw Hindu temples alive, well and in service in Larkana, in the province of Sindh (the only major city I visited in Sindh)
The house in Gujranwala where Hari Singh Nalwa (Maharaja Ranjit Singh's most prolific military general) was raised. This is now a shelter for the poor blind
I'm not 100% sure of this (as I could not confirm this from a second source) but I was directed to this building by an elderly person as the house where Hari Singh Nalwa was born. This is now a police post in Gujranwala
The granary at the bronze-age city of Harappa, part of the Indus Valley Civilization. This is apprx. 10 Km from the southern Punjab city of Sahiwal
I observed many groups of people eating by dipping their naan (bread) in a common bowl - such as this group of three people eating handi chicken (literally "chicken cooked in a bowl") and daal (lentils)
A chai (tea) vendor at work while people watch a cricket match on TV at his shop
A house in Sahiwal
Shrine (mausoleum) of Shah Rukn-i-Alam in Multan
Another shrine at Multan
Fine painting inside one of the shrines, Multan
Date trees on the road from Multan to Dera Ghazi Khan
Trucks are extremely colorfully decorated in Pakistan. A young man gets a free ride behind the minibus I was riding in
Black flag in front of the Press Club. A result of muzzling of the press due to the imposition of democracy by Musharraf...?
Pre-Mughal architecture at Uch Sharif
Painted wood ceiling in shrine at Uch Sharif
Tomb of Bibi Jawindi, Uch Sharif
Sunset at Uch Sharif
Another photo of the tomb of Bibi Jawindi, Uch Sharif. Half this monument was destroyed by the flooding of River Chenab
My Canon camera capturing a Kodak moment
Moenjodaro, another bronze-age city of the Indus Valley Civilization. It's the best preserved of all cities excavated - and boasted of asophisticated drainage system 5000 years ago - much more advanced than contemporary Egyptian sites
Great Bath, Moenjodaro. Evidence of ritual bathing, Mother Goddess as well as linga worship (of Pashupatinath, god of fertility and reproduction, a precursor to Lord Shiv) points to an early form of Hinduism being prevalent in the Indus Valley Civilization
Quetta railway station
Quetta is heavily fortified - at each road crossing and round-about are armored vehicles and armed policemen
Cops at a round-about surrounded by sandbags (for protection)
Dry fruit market - note the strings of figs
Artillery at Quetta
A warning to beware of terrorists
Shariat (Islamic law) court, Islamabad
Supreme Court of Pakistan, Islamabad
Faisal Masjid, Islamabad
Taxila museum. Taxila is where the Greek empire met India
Where else but in Taxila will you find an Indian god's idol (Ganesh on left) next to a Greek goddess (Athena on right)
Greek-style Buddha
Wall of Jaulian monastery, Taxila
Mohra Muradu monastery, Taxila
My ride in Taxila. The sites are spread out and we must have driven around 25 to 30 Km that afternoon
The town of Sirkap, Taxila
Guru Nank Dev ji's "Panja" (imprint of hand on the rock), Gurudwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal
Gurudwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal
Blending in with the locals, Peshawar
I got myself a permit and armed escort to visit the restricted tribal areas enroute to Kyber Pass
Jamrud Fort, where Hari Singh Nalwa died (see earlier photos for his birth place and where he grew up)
Gateway to Khyber
A caravan from Kabul, Afghanistan to Peshawar
Posing with my armed guard's AK-47
My armed escort from the Khyber Rifles, special tribal police force - regular Pakistan police is not allowed in the restricted tribal areas of NWFP
Illustrious passers-by on the Khyber. The Indian subcontinent's history was molded largely by whomever crossed here
Various military platoon plaques on the road to Khyber pass
Houses are fortified once you get inside the tribal areas. Honor and revenge killings are really, REALLY common, prevalent and a way of life. Regular Pakistan law does not apply here - tribal law does
At Michni border checkpoint. Afghanistan is in the background
Michni check point - with my armed escort and driver
Posing with weapons recovered from terrorists; at Michni checkpoint, on the border with Afghanistan
Seekh teeka - my favorite Peshawar entree
I saw many Sikhs in Peshawar. They are all Pathan and speak Pushtun - I tried to start conversations by telling them I'm from Chandigarh but could barely understand them
Interior of Mahabat Khan Masjid (mosque)
Jewelery bazar, Peshawar
Jewelery bazar, Peshawar. This photo was my gift to Bhavna (the real thing costs the moon :-)). It's the thought that counts, eh...
This is the ancestral house of the Bollywood family of the Kapoors (Prithviraj Kapoor and descendants)
An ornate truck so common in Pakistan
Front facade, Gurudwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib
Inside the gurudwara
Priest reading from Guru Granth Sahib
Entrance to Gurudwara Janam Asthan, Guru Nanak Dev ji, Nankana Sahib - "Singh is King" Singh is the middle name for almost all Sikh males
