U.S. citizen Luciana’s letter to the Editor-in-Chief admiring Pakistan and Pakistanis

Dear Sardar,

I wanted to send you a letter to share with you my pleasantly surprised wonderful visit to Pakistan last month.

As I may have mentioned to you, prior to deciding to visit Pakistan, all my friends and family thought it was very dangerous and not wise for a white woman to travel to that part of the world. I am so glad I didn’t listen, trusted my intuition and with the help and guidance of Imtiaz, I had a wonderful  experience. 

Thank you so very much for hosting and being our tour guide in Islamabad and Taxila. I know you are a very busy man and your time and attention is greatly appreciated.

To sum it up; I had a great adventure learning about your country, culture and exquisite cuisine (for a carnivore😘).

I am fascinated by all the history, natural beauty, abundance of resources and priceless treasures your country offers.

It was a completely different world (not country, but world) with some common human denominators; genuinely good hearted, generous, welcoming, humble, loving people. Our cultural differences makes us unique, but at the same time at the core we are all divine human beings, under the grace of God/Allah. I respect and honor our differences.

I was blessed to spend almost a month, visiting Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala , Islamabad, beautiful mountains of Murree.

Many beautiful sites, but Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) was one of my favorites, because of the story behind why it was built by Mugal Emperor Shah Jahan, who built it for his adored wife, Mumtaz Mahal.  The story is she loved gazing at the moon and stars at night so much that she wanted to sleep outside. The king was inspired to built a castle of mirrors with a fountain in front that reflected the sky/stars/moon inside the palace for her. She died a year before it was completed (during childbirth) and he then went to India and built a little mausoleum for iher called Taj Mahal. What a beautiful love story. ❤

I graciously want to vouch and confirm that the Muslim community are very respectful, generous, loving community that went out of their way to make me feel welcomed and feel at home. Looking forward to my next trip to visit the many more beautiful natural sites Pakistan has to offer.

“InshaaALLAH”

Respectfully,

Luciana P.