During the Persian Gulf War, many of your newsrooms sent local crews to file stories for the folks back home. Stations are beginning to talk about how and whether to send crews overseas to cover whatever response the U.S. launches in this situation. Networks are assembling teams in Pakistan. But, as you will see, the logistics for locals will be tough.

Travel to Pakistan

According to the International Committee for the Protection of Journalists: Legal protections are tenuous at best in most of the country, but journalists are especially vulnerable in Pakistan's border regions. Local journalists reporting from Northwest Frontier Province, which borders Afghanistan, said they were regularly harassed and threatened for reporting critically on the policies of that country's ruling Taliban movement. These reporters feared publicizing their cases because the Pakistani military maintains close links with the Taliban, and because local police and security agents have also been hostile to the press.

The Press in Pakistan-a situation briefing from CPJ http://www.cpj.org/attacks00/asia00/Pakistan.html

Censorship case recently in Pakistan: http://www.cpj.org/news/2001/Pakistan04sep01na.html

Get a taste of what it is like to be a journalist in Afghanistan: http://www.cpj.org/news/2001/Afghan10sep01na.html

Getting there, staying there

• A good overall guide: http://www.travel-guide.com/data/pak/pak.asp
  
• How to get there: http://www.travel-guide.com/data/pak/pak090.asp
• Hotels in Pakistan: http://www.hotelstravel.com/pakistan.html
• Weather trends: http://www.travel-guide.com/data/pak/pak500.asp
• Health issues/vaccinations: http://www.travel-guide.com/data/pak/pak080.asp

You will need a local driver-interpreter

It is a good idea to check you life insurance health insurance, wills before you go. Carry any medications you know you will need, get a tetanus vaccination.

Filing stories

Good luck. CNN News Source and NBC Newschannel, for example, are not currently making plans to help affiliates file from Pakistan. If you find a source, please drop me a line tompkins@poynter.org.

• Pakistan telecommunication Authority http://www.pta.gov.pk/
• Listen to Live Pakistani radio: http://www.radio.gov.pk/
• Watch LIVE Pakistani TV http://www.ptv.gov.pk/

What you will need to get in

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS:

• A passport is required.
• The Pakistani Embassy tells me that VISAs are required, but they can usually approve them the same day they are submitted if you get to the embassy before noon. The VISA costs $45 processing fee. To get the visa, present your passport, two passport photos, two forms of legal identification other than the passport. They say the VISA application is available online at their embassy website
• You will need an official letter from your news organization addressed to the government of Pakistan saying you are being assigned to work in Pakistan
• Journalists must fill out a special application form. It is called a FORM A
  The form includes a statement that journalists must sign saying " I have no objection that during my stay in Pakistan a Consulting Officer from the Ministry of Information is attached. I also undertake not to photograph/film key installations."
• IMPORTANT-To take TV or other equipment, you must present to the Embassy or Consulate a detailed list of EVERY piece of equipment that you intend to carry. This includes serial numbers, exact descriptions, and brand names. Get that list notarized. Everything you take in must be taken out.

More Information on entry requirements can be obtained from the Embassy of Pakistan <http://www.pakistan-embassy.com>,

2315 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC, 20008,
telephone (202)939-6295 or 6261,
Internet home page: http://www.pakistan-embassy.com.

Travelers may also contact:

Consulates General of Pakistan
12 East 65th St.,
New York, NY 10021
(212) 879-5800, fax (212)517-6987

or:

10850 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310)441-5114, fax (310)441-9256.

If a traveler plans to stay longer than 30 days in Pakistan, he or she must register with the local police station and obtain a residence permit. This permit must be returned to the same office for an exit visa when the traveler is preparing to leave the country. Airlines may require travelers departing the U.S. to present multiple photographs and complete copies of passports and other travel documents.

This is what the U.S. State Department advises:

SAFETY/SECURITY/AREAS OF INSTABILITY: Bombings continue to occur throughout Pakistan with alarming frequency. Bombs have exploded in public markets, on a train, at a bus station, and in other public venues during the past yea,r causing numerous casualties. Rallies, demonstration,s and processions occur from time to time throughout Pakistan on very short notice and have occasionally taken on an anti-American or anti-Western character. Karachi and the southern parts of Punjab province have experienced protracted political or sectarian violence that, although not explicitly anti-American, poses a potential danger to American travelers. During the Islamic religious observances of Ramadan and Moharram, sectarian rivalry and violence often increase. Family feuds are frequently fatal and may be followed by retaliation. Women do not walk out alone and it is not wise to travel in the streets late at night. Travelers may wish to maintain a low profile, blend in, and seek security in the traveler's family or sponsoring organization.

Northern Areas - Visitors wishing to trek in Gilgit, Hunza, Chitral, and the upper Swat valley should use only licensed guides and tourist agencies. There have been occasional assaults and in 1998, a U.S. tourist who was not accompanied by a guide was murdered in Gilgit.

Northwest Frontier Province - Substantial areas within the Northwest Frontier Province are designated tribal areas and are outside the normal jurisdiction of government law enforcement authorities. Visitors risk being caught in armed clashes between tribal factions or smugglers. Carjackings and the abduction of foreigners are occasionally reported from the tribal areas. If visitors must enter the tribal areas, a permit from the Home and Tribal Affairs Department is required. The permit may stipulate that an armed escort must accompany the visitor. Even in the settled areas of the Northwest Frontier Province, there is occasional ethnic, sectarian, and political violence as well as anti-foreign rhetoric; foreigners should steer clear of such demonstrations or known areas of conflict. However, the monthly steam train excursion for tourists from Peshawar through the Khyber Pass is well protected by local authorities.

Kashmir: Military operations continue along the Line of Control in Kashmir and military exchanges between Pakistani and Indian forces often result in deaths and injuries on both sides. Jihadist groups, some of whom have made anti-American statements, are active in the area. Many areas are restricted. Americans planning travel in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir should contact the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad prior to travel in the area and assure that they have taken appropriate security precautions. Due to security reasons, U.S. Embassy employees do not routinely travel to Kashmir. An American and other Westerners were kidnapped in Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1995 and have never been found.

Punjab Province - Sectarian violence decreased considerably during the first half of 1999, from the high 1998 levels of violence, which resulted in dozens of deaths. While Americans are not targets of this violence, the foreign community is not immune, as evidenced by the 1997 assassination of five Iranians in an attack widely believed to have had sectarian overtones. As a precaution against possible dangers resulting from sectarian violence, U.S. citizens are cautioned to avoid public transportation and crowded areas.

Sindh Province - In the areas of Karachi and Hyderabad there have been recurring outbreaks of ethnic and sectarian violence characterized by an increasing number of random bombings, shootings and mass demonstrations. These have resulted in deaths and the imposition of curfews. There have also been numerous incidents of kidnappings for ransom. In rural Sindh Province, the security situation is hazardous, especially in regard to overland travel. Foreigners have occasionally been kidnapped and, in a 1995 incident, the foreign kidnap victim was killed in a subsequent gunfight between police and bandits. The Government of Pakistan has recommended that travelers limit their movements in Sindh Province to the city of Karachi. If visitors must go into the interior of Sindh Province, the Government of Pakistan requests that travelers inform police authorities well in advance of the trip so that necessary police security arrangements can be made.

Baluchistan Province - The province of Baluchistan, which borders both Iran and Afghanistan, is notorious for cross-border smuggling. Armed battles between clans are frequent. Because provincial police presence is limited, travelers wishing to visit the interior of Baluchistan should consult with the province's Home Secretary. Advance permission from provincial authorities is required for travel into some areas. Local authorities have detained travelers who lack permission. Although Quetta, the provincial capital, is quieter than the interior, it has experienced serious ethnic violence that has led to gun battles in the streets and the imposition of curfews.

Returning Americans of Afghan origin are sometimes targets for harassment for extortion by the local populace and even by police, local immigration and customs officials--especially if they do not have a well-established family structure in Pakistan.

CRIME: Crime is a serious concern for foreigners throughout Pakistan, with violent crime increasing faster than any other category. Carjackings, armed robberies, house invasions, and other violence against civilians have increased steadily in the major urban areas. Lahore and Karachi, in particular, experience high levels of crime. They are large cities beset by poverty, high unemployment, and underpaid, under-manned police forces. Travelers in Karachi are encouraged to use hotel shuttles from the airport rather than taxis, which are subject to police harassment, especially after dark. Petty crime, especially theft of personal property, is common throughout Pakistan.