Pakistan seen through my eyes. A series of books on Pakistan, starting with Lahore.

I wrote this book, Pakistan seen through my eyes, with my friend, Dr. Abdul Rahman Khawaja, who is a doctor living and working in Lahore. He took most of the photographs and gave me lots of information. He also was instrumental in my interest in Sufism, the poetry and poets of the Punjab.

This book is available on Kindle from Amazon. It is not necessary to buy a Kindle, it is possible to download an application from Amazon to your computer which enables you to buy books.

The book takes you on a journey around Lahore starting on the day the plane landed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport about 15 minutes drive away from my hotel at the Quick Continental Hotel in Jail Road.

The journey takes you to the Lahore Museum, Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, riding on a Qingqi, (pronounced Chingchi, it is a mode of transport from China) which has 2 seats, one facing forwards and one backwards and powered by a motorcycle at the front. I sat at the back and felt as if I was taking my life in my hands as we sped through the streets of Lahore.

There is a collection of photographs and tickets from museums and monuments. I am trying to give a view of the country which most people cannot imagine. There is so much negative news coming out of Pakistan but when you visit the country you see that the people are friendly and welcoming. They are happy to see foreigners from any country in the world.

I never felt unsafe at any time during my visit and I was sorry when my holiday ended. I hope to visit again in the coming year.

Following are a few of the images from the book.

There is a lot to see in Lahore and many good restaurants. Also, if you want to travel safely anywhere in the country the best bus company is Daewoo.

Poets of the Punjab

At the end of the book I have included a section on the poets of the Punjab. Here are a couple of examples of the poetry you can find.

Sultan Bahu

On a dark, black night, love lights a lamp.

You can’t hear the voice of the One whose love carries your heart away.

Forests, marshes, and frightening swamps, where one fears tigers with every breath.

Those whose love is perfect, Bahu, cross deserts, seas and jungles.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Loneliness

Loneliness like a good, old friend

Visits my house to pour wine in the evening.

And we sit together, waiting for the moon,

And for your face to sparkle in every shadow.

Faiz was imprisoned for a while and during this time he wrote a lot of poetry.

Captivity

So what if pen and paper have been snatched from my hands?

I have dipped my fingers in the blood of my heart

So what if they have sealed my lips?

I have threaded with a tongue every link of my chains.

There is so much poetry that it is only possible to put a small sample here. In the book there is a section covering Allama Iqbal, one of the founding fathers of Pakistan. He has a mausoleum by the Badshahi Mosque and there is an institute named after him. He is revered as the Poet of the East.

I hope this encourages you to read this book. On my next visit to Pakistan I intend to travel to other areas and take photographs and get more information for the second book in the series.