Moving to Pakistan From UK.

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I need some advice and was hoping for some real answers from all of you living in Pakistan.

I have lived almost all my life in UK, but my parents are originally from Pakistan, from Sargodha. I speak decent Urud (not perfect, you could tell I’m from abroad if you heard me speak urdu) and can more or less read Urdu.

My grandparents are still living in a village in Sargodha, Punjab.

I want to move back to Pakistan permanently with my family, obviously I would move back to the village with my grandparents becasue I just prefer the village/farming lifestyle (we have more than 10 acres (kila) of land to work on) and I could probably buy about another 10 kila (acres).

So my question is, how safe will it be for me to move back with my family to my grandparents village?

I have heard of numerous horror stories of children getting kidnapped when people find out a person is from UK and then asking for massive amounts of ransom money to have the child released. I have heard of people from the UK getting robbed and looted becasue people automatically assume they are rich. And the police are all in on the crimes as they get bribed by the criminals. I have heard of people getting their land taken from them unless they have a good network of local tribes people to back them up. And all sorts of other corruption and difficulties for people who are from UK trying to live in Pakistan. So how safe will pakistan be for me and my wife and children if we decide to move there?

Now the thing is I do not have a good network of tribesmen. As is the case with a lot of Pakistani families, al lot my aunties and uncles and relatives that live in our village are sort of like “naraaz” with us or him or them or someone and are jealous and arguing etc. I probably have some danger from my own relatives who may inform someone else to come and rob me and my family. Is that possible, is that how Pakistanis think?

I would really appreciate some advice from you guys in Pakistan who know the situation much better.

Thanks.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

I have moved as well.but not to a village. Maybe there needs to be more precautions if u r moving to a village other then a city

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

Did you move from the UK too? By yourself or with your family/children? How are you find the issues of danger and security I mentioned above and what types of different precautions do you think will be needed in a village over a city? I would have thought that villages would be safer than cities as you would be out of the way of most people in a village?

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

I dunno, it’s strange to me that you’d even make this kinda country swap. All I can say is arm yourself, probably with a m4al, ak47, some grenades, a tank and some boozookas. You can never be to prepared for how crazy these pakis are.

Best of luck.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

The only thing I can suggest you is NOT to wind up everything from here and go back to Pak to get settled. Keep at least a door opened so when you realise you made a wrong decision you could come back.

If I could make you understand through an idiom, saari kashtiyaan jala k mat jana.

Moving from a civilised place to an uncivilised place is lot more tough than you can imagine. You have mentioned a lot of issues but when it comes to “live that life”, you actually come to know that it’s lot more than that.

If you feel like sharing, may I know the reason why you want to move to Pakistan? Unfortunately the current situation of the country is not too good to think to settle there especially when you come from a place like UK, USA, Canada!! People in Pakistan are struggling to move out from there and want to be settled in a better place..and you want to go to Pakistan.

I’m not trying to put you off but my sincere suggestion would be to think twice, thrice before taking such a huge step. If possible, call your grandparents here.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

I visited and stayed in my pind for 2 weeks. Issues I faced are:
No electricity…cities get little for villages its 2/24 hours that too mid night.
so cold in december
no proper healthcare facilites…any decenty ones you will not find within 100km radius.
life in village is only for those who have not seen outside world…u will get annoyed within a month.

maybe try for few months than decide if you really want to live there.

1 funny issue that we face in our village that is people borrow your car…they return in half damaged, no wheels on, destroyed and in return no appreciation and no respect that they borrowed and use it wisely. and you can not say NO to these people. once someone borrowed our car for a hour or so and we had to attend a wedding. they drove it into big hole. totally destroyed and didnt even bother to notify us and we had to chase them down and had to travel on public transport to the wedding.

another relative wanted to borrow our car once and he couldnt drive we told him we can come with you but can not lend you the car. he refuse to take the car. next morning all village knew that we didnt lend him our car and he needed to transport his pregnant daughter (who was in labour) to city.

and ofcourse no villages are lawless. no repect for anyones life…people can kill you even if they are jealous of you. I have seen this. families and generations destroyed in process. had experienced first hand.

and ofcourse you will get proposal from whole pind ranging from 10-100 :smiley:

AND you need to know all 6 kamlas to get nikkah done:D. Molvi will ask you to read in front of guest and if you dont know or or make mistake you will not be forgiven for years to come.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

And your wife and kids are ok with this move?

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

Why do you want to move to Pakistan ??
My sincere advice would be , DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.
If its just for the sake of your grandparents then there’s lots you can do without moving there permanently. Visit them more frequently and check what their needs and requirements are and help out with that. Doesn’t sound like they are alone since you mentioned your relatives there.
Are there some problems in UK which are making you think of this?
There are sooo many every day problems here, soo many struggles, that kidnapping and terrorism stay on the sidelines of your life.
What about your children?
The Pakistan you go for a visit (even if its for 3-6 months) is very very different from the Pakistan where you live in.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

wow, does not seem like Pakistan is a very favoured place at the moment.

Which of you guys actually live in Pakistan? I seem to get the feeling from some of the replies that some of you advising against the move actually do not live in Pakistan yourself? You would have most likely heard and know things just like me. I really wanted input from those that live there permanently and know the ins and outs and the problems of everyday village life there.

Oh and I would not be winding up everything in the UK, I would still come here, but I’d be living there most of the year, and Yes family are OK with this so long as it will be safe enough, hence why I’m trying to find out. Things like no electricity for hours I can live with and do not worry me much, and whilst I would have a motorcycle, I do not plan on keeping a car, it’s not a necessity especially when you can hire a car occasionally when you need to from within the village. Remember I am planning to live working the land, not move to the city, get a job etc. A bit old fashioned style.

Yes living with the people is a nuisance, I mean all the gossip and everyone in the village knows things like who you did not lend your car to etc, but even that I am willing to put up with so long as it is safe. I am not new to living in Pakistan, I have lived there for a couple of months at a time before, so have a rough idea of the lifestyle and people there. My only real concern is safety. Is it truly a big risk for westerners to come and settle there in terms of safety?

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

I like how people who have not experienced movinf themselvee have very strict rigid opinions on how unsafe it is.

I also felt similar I must say.but alhumdulilah so far its been 4 years and its fine. We are in a modern upper class area so cent say same for a village but we are okay and fine
No worries

I felt intimidated in the uk first time this year and I started wearnf hijab this year.I felt like islamophobia is on the rise there and I was more worried about being back home in the UK then here.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

Exactly, you can’t say the same for a village so your opinion doesn’t carry any more weight than anyone else’s. If the OP was discussing moving to a decent urban area, even in a small city then the responses would be very different I can assure you.

To the OP: Roshni has actually talked about what life is like living in the pind albeit for a short time. Pay some heed. Also, you say stuff like you can survive without a car - I think you’re just kidding yourself. The same goes for electricity - I don’t think you realise how things like safety are tied to having electricity. Safety is a really serious issue and you are absolutely right to be concerned about ‘naraz’ relatives. This is absolutely true as well “I have heard of people getting their land taken from them unless they have a good network of local tribes people to back them up.”

Also, it seems you are talking about small fry type stuff in terms of the amount of land and doing it yourself. So what kind of house/lifestyle are you going to have? If it’s what I’m thinking it is then does your wife really have any idea of what she’s letting herself in for? That kind of village life is hard work. What about your children and their education?

I almost think you are trolling.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

^ Yes, I was wondering about their education too?

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

yes… and some of us who don’t live in Pakistan are living abroad due to the situation of the country. Some of us who have advised you to stay in UK are not born and bred in UK USA…but have lived their huge part of life in Pakistan. I am an example. Its just been two and a half year to me since im here in UK..I miss my family, I miss the occasions too and I come from the city of lights..but… I know I can’t decide to go back… the situation is no more the same.

my own BIL is a British born. He decided to go back and settle in Karachi. He said the same… fluctuations/electricity is not an issue for me… lol… he ran back to UK in just 2 months… his words… life is such a Hell here in Pakistan… aaplog bijli k baghair rehte kese hen… aur garmi esi qayamat khezz!
I went back on vacations and I had lived just a year here… I was so addicted to the atmosphere and weather that I literally felt like burning inside…then no electricity…if generator then no air conditioner etc etc… you said you have lived almost your entire life here… that’s why we all suggested you accordingly but seems like… you didn’t like it :frowning:

Phir bhi, if its just safety issue, then a relative of mine went back to Pakistan permanently last year, and was robbed after 2 days, they had taken the v v big amount and the news was published in a paper too.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

Yes I know I can’t say the same but I had to tell the op that I have also moved.wherever u live in Pakistan it will be harder than living in the uk despite being.in a upper class area etc.

Village? Never. Maybe that’s.me.not because.of safety
But doesn’t seem a point to move somewhere without basic amenities ans education is not great there.

And to be honest the heat etc isn’t a problem. Australia is hot do people complain about the weather there? My aunt lives in a northern territories in Canada where they have no power for hours daily and.live in minus 20 conditions ( extreme cold) and have other issues. Yet she happy.bexause its Canada!! Same halaat in pak would.have driven her.home.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

You r saying now that u can live without electricity, but when u have to deal with it u won’t b able to.

My biggest concern is the safety issue. It is more of an issue in the village/Pind. Everyone knows who is coming and going and everybody else’s business. I know of someone who went to pakistan when he was a child. He was nearly kidnapped, but he was lucky that he had already left and went to lahore but his uncle was unfortunately shot and killed as kidnappers thought the uncle was lying that he was not there. It was someone from the village that knew he was from the UK. Obviously he hasn’t bin back to Pak again.

I would think long and hard before moving there. It’s not something to be taken lightly. Think about your kids, what would there future be there? Most people leave pakistan in order to make a better future for their families.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

First visit the village and try living there for 2-3 months and if you still think you want to relocate for good, then go ahead. Btw, what are you going to do there ..manage farm or something?

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

The world over (especially in the west) many people prefer to move into the countryside or small villages in whichever country to “live off the land” to reduce their “carbon footprint” to become “self-sufficient” to “grow their own Produce” for a life revolving around “permaculture” to “live working with nature, not against it” to “use living techniques and strategies of old-timers which were more efficient than some techniques today” to develop their “small holdings” to “get back to the land” to “to get away from the rat race” to “get away from modern city life stress” to “live the simple life”.

I am one of these people who has had this fascination for a long time, and have a good amount of knowledge and experience surrounding “living off the land” which is precisely why being without electricity, being without a car, coping with the heat etc are non-issues for me. These are luxuries, not necessities, yes they make life easier but there are ways around them. People have been living without them for centuries and all of a sudden they have become necessities, but that is because people today are over-pampered which is why they consider these things to be necessities. I assure you have I knowledge and experience to live without such luxuries.

Why don’t I get some land in UK and live like that in UK? Because there are too too many legal restrictions and planning laws to abide by , that it becomes almost impossible unless you have a lot of money to buy a lot of land with a house. Realistically you would need more than £250 000, and I don’t have that much money lying around. I can buy agriculturel land in UK, but due to planning restrictions I cannot even keep a caravan on that land to stay in let alone build a house, so what’s the point.

I was thinking of moving to Pakistan with my grandparents, because everything is already setup for me in the village after I make a few adjustments to live that sort of life. My grandparents live the old fashioned life anyway without electricity mostly because they have no one younger living with them as their children are all abroad, they don’t know how to read or write so they have not brought a lot of the modern amenities home. They have a telephone and fans installed on the ceilings and that’s it, I can’t think of anything else electric they use in the house. They still use wood fuel from our own land in a choola to cook etc and that’s how I want it, I would prefer wood over gas when possible for example. Let me re-iterate, I have experience living this sort of life and a fair amount knowledge surrounding it.

Education for children I have thought of and there are good boarding school madrassas for both deen and dunya my children can attend like this one as an example Zaynab Academy which is run by great shaikhs and highly educated to degree level people. Sending my children to private schools with boarding would probably be the best option.

I have lived there in the village for 2 months at a time and I love the lifestyle, but the people are annoying, their mentalities are backwards, they have very little deen in their lives and they are mostly greedy and jealous people. But that I can live with if it is safe.

So my only real concern is safety! When people find out I am from UK will they try to rob us? Kidnap children ask for money? This is my only real concern.

No, just because my values and objectives in life are different to having big 5 star city houses with AC and everything working at the switch of a button with luxury cars and high class modern expensive education for children does not mean I am a troll.

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

Hi There,

From what I understand from your post your asking almost impossible questions to answer. Such as will you get robbed? The question is too broad, there is many factors that will play a part, one of which is the area you looking to move into? The crime scene what is it like? The police scene are they corrupt or are they half decent? Have there been previous such incident of this nature? Are your grandparents well connected? Do you have many things which may show you have money other than being from the UK? All these questions need to be answered to be only tell you rough idea of if you are likely to be robbed and in any event that will be a massive guess made on the balance of probability on those questions. Even then wont be direct answer as nobody knows.

The real answer to your question is “We don’t know” there have been people living abroad for years from here in the UK and Europe and not a single thing bad has happened to them and then their are people who only go home for summer months as holidays and end up getting robbed and shot. There a many examples of this but that’s not to say it will happen to you. Ideally I think you are looking for abit of comfort, you have this dream you want to follow and live in Pak and your little apprehensive because of few concerns you have which are real, you just want to be told it will be okay and that will may be reassure you to take the step of moving over there, enabling you to make the decent decision, This may not be the case but certainly how you have come across to myself anyway.

I think if you are concerned about the security then there is either one of two things you can do, one of being is go an try it and if Allah has written it in you destiny then surely it will happen and worrying about it wont help, or other you could go out there and employ like a security guard an so on. The prophet Peace Be Upon Him said tie you camel before trusting Allah. Alternatively maybe you could start a small initiative that will benefit the local people which may kind of keep them on side with you and maybe they will look out for you and no doubt this will also get you to know people, good an bad and maybe the good may look out for you.

just my two cents worth, no right or wrong answer but you will always get mix answers some pro and some negative but only you will be able to decide. But let me leave you with two of my favs quotes from the Quran as direct word of Allah.

After hardship there is ease!

There is good in things even If you don’t see it!

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

Sargodha, it is a nice place I think Pakistan Airforce has a big base there, I have visited it a few times, the people are nice, I am from a village a few hours by bus on the road to Rawalpindi. I think most people on this GS website may not be the right people to get advice from since they are not from that area.

I spent my first 20 years especially summer vacations from schools in cities going back to my village without electricity and running water, we use to draw water from a 90 ft deep well with muscle power. it is a lot of work to get water especially for the big Bhains (water Buffalo) and tending to the farm animals.

I remember every evening cleaning the glass of the kerosene lantern (laltain) so we could have light.

My personal opinion you will like it and your children will benefit too from the simple life, there is no harm in trying it for a while, you always have the choice to come back.

Also the most benefit to your children will be the time they spend with their Grand Parents.

I would not trade the time I spent with mine for any luxury in this World. it was priceless

my guess is with one or two kila land that is irrigated you should atleast make 4 lakh Ruppes/kila if not more per year.

and there is this website for the farming community tells you all about different crops and the market rates for the produce:

http://www.pakissan.com/english/allabout/crop/index.shtml

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Re: Moving to Pakistan From UK.

With a lot of land and a lot of money the best thing to do is to act and think like a chaudhry/takhur saahib … You need to employ people, put some workers on the land and make them some places to live. Keep good relations with all by giving them gifts and keeping their children happy. Let them know that you are part of the community and your presence helps the whole area flourish and let some of the richer families become friends as they will want to keep their options for marrying their kids in to your family open. This way you can avoid the problems that people may create. People will need to be made to realise that they need you and they will look out for you as a result.

Give a lot in charity and be concerned for others and always speak to people in their happiness and sadness.