Metal Detection in Pakistan?

[PKennett]

I will be in Islamabad for 1 year, and would like to know if it is legal to use my metal detector there?

Thanks

Peter

 

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[SandFiddler]

I will be in Islamabad for 1 year, and would like to know if it is legal to use my metal detector there?

Thanks

Peter

Shouldn't you address inquiries about Pakistani law to the Pakistani embassy?
From what I read, Middle-Eastern countries are very unhappy about Westerners messing with their cultural/historical artifacts.
If you are an American you may find yourself being a target just for that reason.

 

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[Bum Luck]

Unless you're a moron, you will probably be OK.

First: Scope the territory. Ask the guys in the office what the informal rules are for doing anything. MD'ing is just another form of something, and an unimportant one, probably.

Second: Armed with that info, find out who the local bosses are. There are always local bosses, we have them here in the US. Get tight with them. They will probably wonder if you're nuts or robbing antiquities for big bucks, since none of them are dumb enough to do something that doesn't pay off. Follow their rules. If they want a cut, so be it. If they don't want you to take ancient stuff, don't do it. Respect them - in most of the world, a man's word is expected to be his bond and loss of life is the penalty for transgression. It won't hurt to learn about their culture either and respect it and them. Gift them.

Good luck, and remember, ancient things really belong to all of us, and when you find an intact site, leave for the archaeologists, even though the grave robbers is a more likely outcome.

Stay alive.

 

[PKennett]

Ok, I just found this old message and time to give you a follow up. As soon as I arrived in Islamabad the Taliban blew up the Marriott hotel. I was hunkered down ever since, with three Pashtun guards living at my residence for protection. I slept in a vault at night. I never once left the city - so metal detecting was not even in my dreams.

After I left Pakistan in 2009 I then moved to Singapore, where Singapore Customs, licensing, and the police had no knowledge of metal detecting. They had no idea what I wanted to bring a metal detector to the beaches. After a month of back-and-forth emails, I finally got the chief of police to state in an email that I could use a metal detector on the public beaches. No one else had been doing that. You can imagine how crazy the finds were. In three months I located a coffee can of jewelry. $12,000 in gold and diamond rings. $2,000 in modern coins. I still have about 50 silver rings that I kept. It was beach hunters dream.

I am now in Europe, and it’s been an amazing two years here. But next year my wife and I go back to Pakistan. I doubt things have improved enough to allow me to go detecting, although I know some Pakistani security personnel who have volunteered to escort me to some ancient areas they would love to search. I doubt I will be doing any of that.

But – I will have five paid vacations while I am there – so travel to New Zealand, Australia, and other places are planned. I would love to go to Armenia – where detecting is completely legal and the country full of ancient Roman and medieval sites. For NZ and AU – gold hunting would be fun!

After Pakistan I hope to be posted in England, Serbia or Armenia. 2017 is along ways off - but I like to keep my dreams fresh!

 

[BVI Hunter]

Great story on the other site, but you should re post that here as I don't think you're supposed to "mention" other forums!?

Great finds and well done!

 

[jeff of pa]

I am now in Europe, and it’s been an amazing two years here. But next year my wife and I go back to Pakistan. I doubt things have improved enough to allow me to go detecting, although I know some Pakistani security personnel who have volunteered to escort me to some ancient areas they would love to search. I doubt I will be doing any of that.

I would have jumped at that deal

 

[Tom_in_CA]

good to hear from you Pkennett. Wow, what an old post

 

[Hussain kevin]

i m not much active on this from PAk

Hello i am kevin from Pakistan i read most of reply of your this thread unfortunately some bad peoples have destroy the image of my country
yes there are many greedy, non friendly etc kinds of peoples out in my country but most of them are good also but when it comes on some thing like this that other country people comes to earn or use resources of Pakistan many peoples dont agree with outsiders because this is thr country................

when some big billionaire peoples of Pakistan who earn from pakistan & are not helping the future (students) of the very own country who make them rich then then the students have no choice left to do work for the loyal peoples even for outsiders..

even this post is very old may b most of peoples from you have come to my country in that time i will welcome you to my country again
you can not use MD in public areas of Pakistan specially when you are looking different from peoples of Pakistan

i may not know much areas which you can search but i know few of them untouched for that you have to be a person who like adventure specially in forests & mountains
You may find me on FB as hussain.kevin i m not much active on this forum but i use fb every day
thank you Regards
Kevin

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Welcome Kevin. You say: " .... you can not use MD in public areas of Pakistan" What does the law actually say regarding detecting ? I mean, do you have a citation or link actually saying "no metal detecting" ?

And I notice you say "public area". So I'm assuming then that a person can hunt a farmer's field with permission (which is what the British are doing 99% of the time as well in their country). Right ?

 

[Hussain kevin]

50/50

Welcome Kevin. You say: " .... you can not use MD in public areas of Pakistan" What does the law actually say regarding detecting ? I mean, do you have a citation or link actually saying "no metal detecting" ?

And I notice you say "public area". So I'm assuming then that a person can hunt a farmer's field with permission (which is what the British are doing 99% of the time as well in their country). Right ?

i think you get me wrong my friend
you can understand by following
there is a saying of world that ((dont mess with the law))
in my point of view this is 50%true 50% not cos the person who say the above quote forget to write the loyal, true law with nation

many old places are out in pakistan which are untouched & on whih peoples of old times used to live but now most of that kind of areas have become the city malls homes grounds etc
as you know that govt is the owner of all land except the land peoples have bought & make thr own parks home etc

sea, beach mountains tourist places are of govt

if any one want to search the beach with MD he can not cos of the public but he can at night
if any one want to search the mountain he can cos very less peoples use to go to mountain and if by chance any person ask you what you are doing etc you can redirect that person by using many ways

and about govt of pakistan i can only say 1thing as i say earlier they are greedy if by chance some govt person related to environment c you using MD and digging some thing out you can manage it easily

And yes you are 100% that a person can hunt a farmer's field with his permission or any contract about the % of the things you will find

1 more EG for you Thr are few areas or i will say states of pakistan whr the govt have less power & peoples have more
like Blochistan pakistan have a gold mine but due to govt probs with that state peoples they even dont like peoples of other PK state to come to Blochistan for business etc so as sindh is under control of bad peoples Punjab is the best but it do not have beach&desert

thr are almost 30 known true stories like some group of peoples came to a specific area of pakistan and take gold & stuff of thousands of $ with them only with the struggle of 2 days the thing is ((Research & knowledge)) like geographical past history kind of soil stones etc

i still dont have any MD but yes i know that where i will search if i ever have one but in these days i have to focus of finding & collecting financial help for my uni studies cos i already lost 2 chances for admission in last year cos of finance

i hope you understand my bad englich
thank you
C ya on FB

 

[Tom_in_CA]

thanx for more detail Hussain. I think I understand all you are saying. Basically, despite any dire thing you're saying *could* be cited, yet youre saying a person can find ample places to detect there. Eg.: farmers land with permission, or way back in the mountains, etc.... The same can probably be said of the USA too: If you look long enough and hard enough, and ask enough bureaucrats and archies, I'm SURE you can find "dire sounding things" and supposed "imminent fears of arrest blah blah". Yet .... so long as you're not being silly or st*pid (ie.: avoid obvious sensitive monuments, etc....) there's plenty of places to detect.

 

[Hussain kevin]

thanx for more detail Hussain. I think I understand all you are saying. Basically, despite any dire thing you're saying *could* be cited, yet youre saying a person can find ample places to detect there. Eg.: farmers land with permission, or way back in the mountains, etc.... The same can probably be said of the USA too: If you look long enough and hard enough, and ask enough bureaucrats and archies, I'm SURE you can find "dire sounding things" and supposed "imminent fears of arrest blah blah". Yet .... so long as you're not being silly or st*pid (ie.: avoid obvious sensitive monuments, etc....) there's plenty of places to detect.

not way back in the mountains, even in front at any time on mountains on trails there are many old rooms graves home made water dams on many mountains whr past peoples used to live thr are not much trouble even if some top 10 country national get caught in pakistan for such a small matter of MD but we can not say any thing about LAW cos law have unlimited colors and i want to include 1 more thing my country is not a bad place like its image is spread around of world yes some areas are under bad peoples bombs mines guns are not every whr like a friend above says that u will find a anti tank mine ets you can read 100s of articles of peoples around the world who are afraid to come to pakistan but after that they just not tired by telling stories about the visit of pakistan to others peoples so what i m trying to say you peoples are welcome to Pakistan
thank you

 

[Lady Pirate]

All I can think is "BAM"....and boy do I mean a BIG BAM at that !!

 

[Hussain kevin]

All I can think is "BAM"....and boy do I mean a BIG BAM at that !!

with respect!! i did not get what you are trying to say?? whatever the world think about pakistan but peoples have to read the articles of those peoples who thinks like the same & whose family met them while flying to pakistan as they will not met again but after the visit the image about PAK in thr minds totally changed as a beautiful country. i even can bet on that if you visit pak it will become the most memorable visit in your life.
i am not will smith of i am a legend film that i can say ((any one out her i will provide food i will provide security i will provide shelter etc))
but yes i am H KEVIN
the visit will change your thoughts about Pakistan
you may ask the starter of this thread @PKennett about his visit if he have visit pakistan yet & if not ((you peoples are welcome))

Thank you

 

[Escape]

Thanks for the invite. I would go but to expensive to travel. Have a number of co-workers from Pakistan. My work place is very diverse. Sort of like the UN.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

with respect!! i did not get what you are trying to say?? whatever the world think about pakistan....

I know what you are trying to say Hussain Kevin: The american image, when conjuring up a mental image of "pakistan", is probably something akin to a hollywood scene out of "Raiders of the lost Ark". Eg.: swashbuckling warriors, hands-cut off for nothing but a traffic ticket, hangings and beheadings, blah blah.

I heard all the same sort of "better beware" fears put out to me, when I got ready to travel all around the interior of Mexico to metal detect: " oh no! you'll be mugged ! You might get put into a mexican prison!! Don't drink the water or you'll die!" blah blah blah. But the truth was: As long as you're not stupid hanging around dark allies at night, etc.... that they were the nicest people, the best food, etc.....

 

[Sluice Box]

I honestly do not think that would be a great idea, being that I have been to the country right next door, and it's not to happy there! You've probably got a better chance of running into the Taliban, land mine, or unexploded ordnance before you find anything worth of value.

Sluice

 

[Hussain kevin]

@ Sluice i will explain that with following example
if you will come to my town and met my neighbor on left who do not like me & have bad relation with me or they might b the house of thugs or bad peoples it do not mean that my house is also b like them yes they will say we are bad peoples...... but it is always good to move next door & talk to new peoples
thank you

 

[Lady Pirate]

Like I say..... "BAM"....and boy do I mean a BIG BAM at that !!

 

[Hussain kevin]

whatever

 

[keith2004]

@ Sluice i will explain that with following example
if you will come to my town and met my neighbor on left who do not like me & have bad relation with me or they might b the house of thugs or bad peoples it do not mean that my house is also b like them yes they will say we are bad peoples...... but it is always good to move next door & talk to new peoples
thank you

“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”
― Martin Luther King Jr
More Information about Pakistan
With its 196,174,380 people, Pakistan is the 6th largest country in the world by population. It is the 36th largest country in the world by area with 796,095 square kilometers.

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. India-Pakistan relations have been rocky since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, but both countries are taking small steps to put relations back on track. In February 2008, Pakistan held parliamentary elections and in September 2008, after the resignation of former President MUSHARRAF, elected Asif Ali ZARDARI to the presidency. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control domestic insurgents, many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan