A foreigner on a motorcycle trip to Pakistan was taken by surprise by a sweet interaction with a Pakistani traffic police official.
Tourist Jacob Lum, who is from the United States of America, is on a year-long trip on his motorcycle. He is currently visiting Pakistan, a place he referred to as the most “underrated country” in the world.
Jacob took to Instagram and shared a video of an interaction with a traffic warden in Lahore who stopped his vehicle because it is prohibited to drive a three-wheeler in the specific region, yet he was allowed to go ahead because he was a “guest.”
The video features a middle-aged traffic warden who is seen admonishing the driver for taking the tourists on Mall Road when he knows it is prohibited in the area. However, he turns to Jacob and tells him politely, “We stop it only because it is dangerous.” He also adds, “But you are our guest, so I will allow him to take you to the city of Lahore.” Jacob thanked him, and the officer added: “I think you will enjoy your trip in Pakistan.”
The video also shows the traffic warden welcoming Jacob, asking him to visit Minar-e-Pakistan, Badshahi Mosque, Tollington Market and other Mughal and British heritage sites in the city and warning him against eating street food because it is “unhygienic”.
Jacob wrote in the caption, “This video is a great example of the kindness of the Pakistani people. This interaction was one of the best I have had with the police. He was there to enforce the rules that 3 wheeler rickshaws (motorcycle/ tuktuk) are not allowed in the city. And instead of removing us from the taxi ride and forcing us to get another one, he just scolded the driver and then permitted him to carry on “because we are guests”. I thought that was really nice of him and he quickly changed the conversation to welcoming us to Pakistan and providing recommendations about what to see in the city of Lahore.”
Jacob also posted about how has had multiple experiences with the police in other countries and while some just want to exert control, extort money or just show their dominance; most are essentially kind yet he chose to show the interaction with the Pakistani police officer because that won him over.
“What made this memorable for me is how happy and excited he was when he had the opportunity to inform Western tourists about what to visit. It was very clear that he is proud of his city and happy to see us here!”
Jacob recounted that this was a “great start to my first day in the city and I felt extremely welcomed by the authorities.”
“In addition to the police officer the immigration / customs office was also super friendly and very happy to welcome us to Pakistan,” the American tourist made it a point to mention.
On a lighter note he added, “He also advised us to not eat the street food Ironically we were just taking the taxi back from going out searching for street food.”
Jacob had previously shared other videos from his visits to Northern areas of the country especially Hunza valley and the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region. “I see why this land is being fought over,” he captioned the video he shot in GB.