Wagha border crossing – Re:Discover Pakistan

Finally, I arrived at the Wagha. When I passed through the border gate, I saw the stadium of the flag ceremony, with a picturesque portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah – founding father of Pakistan.
The time difference between India and Pakistan is 30 minutes.
Therefore, I set the clock accordingly at the border and strolled forward with my suitcase.

Presently, glancing back at the Indian side from Pakistan.
People are crossing the border one after another. It was the time when the relationship between India and Pakistan was deteriorating. Nevertheless, I saw about 50 people intersecting the border in a very short time span.

A portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founding father of Pakistan. Beneath it in Urdu, “Bab-e-Azadi”, is written which literally means, “The door to Independence”.

By the way, this border is usually walked over, but “India-Pakistan friendship bus”, at that time was running between Delhi and Lahore, which crosses the border without changing the vehicle.
I often get queries regarding the opening time of the border in the evening. Recently, it looks like it is open in the evening, except for the flag ceremony time. Still, it is wise to finish the border crossing by 3 o’clock in winter and 4 o’clock amid summer time.

Go straight out from the stadium of Flag Ceremony and direct towards the immigration office on your right side.
There are also people who own up “money exchange” in this area.
At the immigration office, I had to fill in an A4 sized entry card with a lot of spaces to be filled, unlike the airport’s entry card (As of March 2019).
Pass the luggage through the X-ray machine and exit out of the customs. When I walked towards the Lahore side, I met our Guide who came to receive me from Islamabad.
Now only an hour drive from here to Lahore, which is famous for its unique heritage and beguiling Mughal architecture.

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Visit: Mar 2019, Wagha Border, Punjab, Pakistan

Category : - Wagha Border > ◆ Punjab > ◇ Pakistan Travel Tip
Tag : Saiyu Travel Pakistan , India Pakistan border crossing , Pakistan Travel company , Pakistan Blog , Pakistan tour operator , Pakistan Travel Blog , Travel Pakistan Blog , Wagha border , Wagha border crossing , Indus Caravan

I crossed the border in mid of March 2019, when the tensions between India and Pakistan escalated.
Certainly, the faces of the military personnel on both sides were harsher than before. Though, I felt really peaceful and calm.
Firstly, I took a domestic flight to Amritsar at exactly 8:50 am and arrived after an hour. Thereafter, from the airport to Atari border it took 30 minutes to reach by car.

As Atari approaches, you can see the overly sized Indian and Pakistani flag raising poles in front. At this time, only the Pakistani flag was raised.

Signs – the border mood rising gradually!
Once you get to the border’s facilities. Next step is to complete the entry at the entrance point and go to the immigration and customs building. Photography is prohibited from this point. Then you finish the baggage security check and go towards the Immigration. Here, you only need to submit a passport. Then pass your luggage through the X-Ray machine and fill a custom form. The customs took quite a long time than I expected….

After the departure and custom’s procedures ended, I took a sigh of relief and on a bus started to head towards the Flag ceremony stadium on the border.

Once you arrive at the Flag Ceremony stadium, you can take pictures starting from here. By the way, please be prepared, as it becomes quite expensive when using a porter to carry the luggage.

Lastly, you need to check your passport at the gate and start to walk towards Pakistan.

Pakistan is in front of me! Just a few steps away and I will be standing on the surface of Pakistan.

At the Pakistani border, there are tourists taking pictures. On both the sides of the border, you can witness the true patriotism of the people and the love they share towards their country.

In the end, the border guards generously said, “Welcome to Pakistan! please show me your passport.” It was 12:00 India time, 11:30 Pakistan time.

Photo & Text : Mariko SAWADA
Visit: March 2019, India-Pakistan border crossing, Attari to Wagha