Lahore to Amritsar

coolmunda · Sep 26th, 2009, 02:32 PM

Has anyone been on the trip between the two countries from Lahore? What was your experience and how safe is it traveling on the bus between lahore and amritsar?

What other major tourists sites are there in the indian side of punjab? What are the indian punjabis like towards pakistanis? Are they welcoming?

Hashmat Usmani · Sep 26th, 2009, 02:56 PM

i think there is a train service between Lahore and Amritsar crossing the border at Atari.

i dunno if Indian Punjabis are welcoming to Pakistanis. they speak Punjabi with more vocabs coming from Hindi rather than Pakistani Punjabi whose vocabs come from Arabi/Farsi. so, its different and probably harder for u to understand.

Its best to fly from LAHORE to DELHI

coolmunda · Sep 27th, 2009, 01:53 PM

^ cool. I did some research of my own and found:

Quote:

[SIZE=2] Lahore-Amritsar-Delhi[/SIZE]: A twice-weekly train leaves Lahore at 08:00 on Mondays & Thursdays (these are the confirmed days of running as at November 2008, previously it ran on Tuesdays & Fridays) for Wagah (the Pakistan side of the Pakistan/India frontier) arriving 09:15, departing again after customs checks at 11:30 (in practice usually after 12:00) for Atari on the Indian side of the frontier, arriving 20 minutes later. The train has 2nd class non-air-con seats only, and it's composed of Indian Railways carriages for half the year, Pakistani coaches for the other half (I suspect that the days of running may vary depending on which country is providing the coaches - it my run on Tues & Fri for part of the year when provided by Indian Railways, please double-check locally). There are connections for Amritsar arriving around 15:00, and for Delhi (please double-check connecting times locally). The fare from Lahore to Wagah is 130 Pakistani rupees. Tickets are not sold at Lahore's main station, but at Lahore Railway Headquarters, about 2km from the station. You need your passport to buy a ticket. The fare from Wagah to Attari is 16 rupees.
For details of the westbound Samjhota Express from India to Pakistan, and for information on train travel within India, see the India page.
However, Lahore-Amritsar can also be done daily, and faster, by bus or taxi. Take a bus or taxi Lahore-Wagah, walk through the frontier to Atari on the Indian side, then take a bus or taxi to Amritsar for daily trains to New Delhi. Going by bus or taxi also allows you to see the spectacular ceremony at sunset when the border closes. Indian and Pakistani guards try to outdo each other with their performances, watched by Indians and Pakistani crowds - as a tourist, you may get to sit in the VIP stand! See the India page.

However the following security concern also came to my attention:

Quote:

*** Critical issue *** In summer 2009 I have had one report that Pakistan is not allowing westerners to use trains or other surface travel within Pakistan, to avoid the embarrassment of having a westerner involved in any potential terrorist incident. The correspondent was refused a visa for Pakistan when they realised he was entering overland and intended using surface transport. I have not had any confirmation of this, and do not know if it is temporary or not.

Do you know if visa can be obtained from the border?

Matt John · Oct 4th, 2009, 11:39 PM

Amritsar (Punjabi: ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ امرتسر, translation: The Pool Of The Nectar Of Immortality) is a city in the northwestern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering just over 3,695,077. Amritsar is 32 kilometres (20 mi) east of Lahore, Pakistan and therefore, very close to India's western border with Pakistan. Another origin of Amritsar's name is from Amŗit-Sagar, "The Ocean of the Nectar of Immortality". This is a very important ocean to the Sikh religion, as the name implies.
Amritsar is home to Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, the spiritual and cultural center of the Sikh religion. This important Sikh shrine attracts more visitors than the Taj Mahal in Agra and is the number one destination for non-resident-Indians (NRI) in the whole of India.[citation needed] There is Baba Jivan Singh temple dedicated to the brave sikh. The 9th Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur was killed by the Mughals in Delhi where there is Guru Sish Ganj Gurudwara. Baba Jivan singh ji walked from Anandpur to Delhi and managed to capture the head (sis) of Guru Teg Bahadur and presented that to Guru Gobind Singh.
One of Bhagvan Valmiki's or Nirankar Valmiki's ashram was considered to have been situated close to Amritsar. It is said that Goddess Sita, wife of Lord Rama gave birth to Lava and Kush. The forest around the ashram was considered Valmiki's "Tapo van" (forest of meditation). The Durgiana temple is also a very famous Hindu temple located on the city.
Amritsar is also known for the incidents of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919 under British Rule and Operation Bluestar in 1984 under the late Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
The main commercial activities include tourism, carpets and fabrics, farm produce, handicrafts, service trades and light engineering. The city is popular and known for its food and culture. Amritsar is also home to Central Khalsa Orphanage, which was once a home for Shaheed Udham Singh, a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement.

I have done cheap travel deals from Lahore to Amritsar to a client;

Thanks

Hashmat Usmani · Oct 4th, 2009, 11:45 PM

these days visa is hard to get for pakistanis especially young people. even if u get one then u will be restricted to 2 cities where u have relatives. they don't allow pakistanis to go for sight-seeing. they ahve to report arrival/departure at every transit point. i think also that u get visa only if u have a valid reason to visit relations ONLY!

coolmunda · Oct 11th, 2009, 02:23 PM

^ what about if you hold a British passport?

DeSiMuNdA · Oct 11th, 2009, 02:34 PM

coolmunda: do u hold dual british/pakistani nationalities?

dannydesiliva · Oct 21st, 2009, 01:27 AM

I think the border opens for crossings at around 10am. I am sure you will be over in less than an hour if there is no rush. The actual walk is not too long. I found most my time on the journey to Pakistan was spent at the Indian immigration counter as there were close to 100 people in the queue trying to get to Pakistan to watch the cricket. The customs clearence was very quick.

The next hold up was at Pakistani immigration as they reckoned I was on a blacklist . The immigration officer invited me into the room where he was checking his computer, he then explained that I was blacklisted. I asked him to show me and he showed me the name on the monitor. Strangely his reasoning for me being blacklisted was because I share the same first three letters of my name with someone who is blacklisted. I pointed this out and then he come to his real intentions which was a backhander (he said he would get me through customs). I told him I had nothing to hide so customs could search my baggage. At this point he realised he would not get any cash out of me and sent me on my way.

I am not sure if the Pakistani cricket fans are allowed to use the crossing by foot but if they are then there may be a slight rush on both sides of the border.

I think the Pakistani side also opens at around 10am. There are places to eat and drink on both sides so even if you are early you can wait. Lahore is not very far from the crossing.

The coolies on both sides can annoy you. Tell them firmly if you do not want them to carry your bags.

coolmunda · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeSiMuNdA

coolmunda: do u hold dual british/pakistani nationalities?

Nope, just British. I do however hold a NICOP card

DeSiMuNdA · Oct 25th, 2009, 01:06 PM

If u have a NICOP card, then u r a pakistani national

u would need to get a pakistani passport first...and the visa could only be issued on that pakistani passport...otherwise, u'd have to give up ur pakistani nationality/surrender the NICOP card, and sign a document stating u've done exactly that before they issue a visa for u on the british passport...

i dunno bout the UK, but the indian consulate here in toronto is a real pain...it took them almost 9 months to issue a visit visa for me...perhaps it would be a bit easier if u applied from pak directly...quicker processing maybe

best of luck

Arleitter · Oct 26th, 2009, 07:20 AM

I have done it in 2006 .For me the Pak immigration officials were quite cool and all the procedures were completed very fast.

Coolies on Pak side ,I think they are Pathans mostly(seeing their physical posture).

We stayed at P.C Amer hotel.

Nosherwan · Oct 26th, 2009, 07:49 AM

Why would you want to go to India?

Indiaphillic Pakis make me laugh.

Don't be fooled by the common language and same tastes in music, these superficial things mean nothing.

Indians don't like us the way we like them, they are very ignorant of Pakistan and Muslims, they are a lot worse than the expat Indians because they have never met any Pakis and their views of Pakistan are entirely shaped by their hateful media.

We in Pakistan are baygherat enough to support our enemy's entertainment industry so our views of Indians are shaped by their dramas and movies, so we see the human side of them and don't consider them very different from ourselves, our view of them is generally positive but there's is not.

Indians see us all as hatefilled terrorists because that is what their media teaches them, they only ever show the negative side of Pakistan, one sided political reoprting, they're careful not to show the crimes of the Indian army...

Indians are not as Mehmannawaz as us Pakistanis, so don't expect any free resteraunt meals or people paying for your bus tickets, Pakis do that for Sikh Yatris all the time, I remember once we were at a meal in Lahore and a Sikh family were at the table next to us, my uncle called the waiter over and paid for the Sikhs simply because they were mehman, that's good but I doubt we'll get the same treatment in India, we'll get called penchod sulley.

Aisha Dubaiwali · Oct 26th, 2009, 07:51 AM

India is beautiful and a lot of our heritage and culture comes from that.

Nosherwan · Oct 26th, 2009, 07:55 AM

I'm a British Pakistani too and whenever I go back home there's so much to see and do in our own country that I'm quite content in my own country... I have relatives all over Punjab, Pashtunkhwa, Karachi so it's just really cool traveling all over Pakistan and experiencing the different cultures, languages, sights and sounds our own beloved land has to offer.

My cousin from Karachi wanted to go into India because he's into his motorbikes, boys down south (Karachi end) love their stunt bikes, in the north it's all about volleyball and cricket but down south the only things boys our age seem to do is stunt bikes, anyway he wanted to go India because the stunt bikes were selling for cheaper over there but I talked him out of it, it's not worth it, the Indians look for excuses to lock up Pakistanis and can you imagine if they faslely accused him of being a spy or something and locked him up in a torture cell, it's happened to enough Pakis, so I would suggest you to stay away from it aswell cool_munda.

Aisha Dubaiwali · Oct 26th, 2009, 07:58 AM

Quote:

can you imagine if they faslely accused him of being a spy or something and locked him up in a torture cell

That is something which I have been scared of as well. Even though my Indian friends here in Dubai say nothing will happen, I know something just might.

Nosherwan · Oct 26th, 2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aisha Dubaiwali

India is beautiful and a lot of our heritage and culture comes from that.

I hate this sort of an attitude, I don't mean you saying India is beautiful, but the bolded bit.

Why can't you people undertand that Pakistan has an identity independent of India?

Yes we share some cultures/languages with India such as Punjabi and Urdu but they do not "come from India" or belong to India, neither India nor Pakistan has sole monopoly over these cultures/languages.

Punjabi and Urdu belong to both Pakistan and India, just as Pashto belongs to both Pakistan and Afghanistan and Balochi culture/language belongs to both Pakistan and Iran.

Pakistan was created before India, we have an identity independent of them even though I do admit some of our cultures and histories do overlap...

...Please don't tell me it was "all India" once, that's bull-feces, before 1947 the term India was a georgraphical term, it did not refer to a country because no country existed in South-Asia before that, it was all different empires (Buddhist, Muslim, Punjabi-Sikh, British etc.).. An empire and a country are not the same, we've also been part of the Greek empire doesn't make us Greeks.

I hate this pan South-Asian mentality, the only Pakis who have it have an inferiority complex and the only Indians who have it are fundo Hindus who believe in Akhand Bharat, what is it with Pakis wanting to be either Arab (religious types) or Indian (secular types)? why not be proud of our own country Pakistan and it various cultures (Punjabi, Pashtun, Urdudan, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Balochi)?

Aisha Dubaiwali · Oct 26th, 2009, 08:10 AM

Being aware of other cultures does not mean you are not proud of your own culture and that statement from no where gives even a hint of my attitude. We can go in to a big debate over here considering the world is a melting pot of cultures and hardly anything pure remains.

Nosherwan · Oct 26th, 2009, 08:34 AM

I'm sorry Aishah I shouldn't have been so harsh, I saw your avatar and assumed you were a male guppyy, lol..

I guess you just phrased it clumsily, had you said we share cultural simialrities with India I wouldn't be so irked, what got to me was the way you said Paki culture (or apects of) come from India.

I hate the way India gets credit for everything.

I hate the way our Indus Valley civlisations are passed of as "Indian heritage", I hate the way Pakistani food is sold in Britain as "Indian cuisine", I hate the way South-Asia is reffered to as the "Indian Subcontient", I hate the way Badshahi Masjid is passed of as Indian architecture etc...

...When fellow Pakistanis partake in this ignorance it really hurts and frustrates me.

We are not a fecesy lil break-off from India without an identity of our own..

We did not break from India in 1947, we merely got independence from the British, because before 1947 India as a country did not exist...

Nosherwan · Oct 26th, 2009, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aisha Dubaiwali

That is something which I have been scared of as well. Even though my Indian friends here in Dubai say nothing will happen, I know something just might.

Yes it's scary and it does happen.

The real world is not a television film.

Indians are not all lovey dovey people singing and dancing in fields of margolds, the real world is not as nice and sweet as the movies.

I know a lot of our Pakis (I'm not being sexist but especially girls) live in khwabon ki duniya...

The sooner we Pakis realise who our enemies are the better.

Indians are our enemies, full stop, no amount of arse licking and hands of friendship from our side, common language or culture is going to change that. Be nice and cordial towards them but I wouldn't recommend trusting them.

Indians are not our only enemies, Afghans are also our enemy and I'm not being racist because my paternal lineage goes back to Kabul 6 generations ago but I only have any patriotism and love for Pakistan and I'm not going to remain ignorant of its enemies.

We Pakis have this weird thing about us, everyone hates and despises us but we love anyone who has the slightest similarity with us whether that's cultural (with Indians) or religious (mid easterners). Why do we suck up to everyone who snubs us?

Aisha Dubaiwali · Oct 26th, 2009, 08:52 AM

Nosherwan you were being rude with me because you thought I was a MALE? OMG this is hilarious.

Oh I hate afghanistan, all the taleban came from there and now it is ruining our PAKISTAN!