Inside Pakistan’s Most Dangerous City (surreal)
Yes Theory
0:01 [music] Well, what's the worst that could happen?
0:09 We will pull on military escort.
0:11 At least six people have been killed in a suicide bombing in Pakistan.
0:16 Tensions fled between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
0:25 [music]
0:29 I told my mom it was safe for sure.
0:32 Yeah.
0:34 Here we go again, but this time to a place we haven't yet set foot in.
0:39 Pakistan, but not [music] any city in the country.
0:43 The nation's oldest city, Peshawar.
0:47 Arguably one of South [music] Asia's most fascinating places,
0:50 yet also due to its proximity to the Afghan border, one of its riskiest.
0:56 We are not here for a stunt.
0:58 We are here to explore a city at the crossroads [music] of history.
1:01 Largely isolated from the world's eyes for the last few decades,
1:04 as traveling here has been close [music] to impossible.
1:07 Having explored many of Pakistan's neighbors before,
1:10 we have a feeling that whatever is said on the news
1:12 is not [music] reflective of the vast majority of the population here.
1:17 At least that is our [music] assumption.
1:19 And so we have decided to travel here with two ambitious goals.
1:22 First, exploring the open streets looking to meet as many locals as possible,
1:26 but then not booking a place to sleep
1:28 and instead staying with a [music] stranger.
1:31 This is definitely the most uncertain place
1:34 we will ever have attempted this [music] before.
1:36 And whether it's possible or not, we're about to find out.
1:43 Well, we are at the gate ready to board.
1:46 Just based on the other passengers on this flight,
1:48 I can tell that there's not a whole
1:50 lot of other tourists going in this direction.
1:52 Yeah, it's going to be an interesting trip.
1:54 And the plan is to not book a place to stay
1:57 and just see if we can stay with someone local.
2:01 So, this might be the worst idea we've ever had or the best idea we've ever had.
2:05 I guess we'll find out.
2:08 Well, Pakistan, here we go.
2:10 We are heading right to the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
2:13 It was 5 years ago that I went to Afghanistan,
2:16 and now this is the closest I'll get to going back in a long time.
2:20 Our families are a little bit worried for us given our destination.
2:23 God, let's hope we prove some people wrong
2:25 with maybe people's idea of what's actually going to happen.
2:28 [music]
2:34 [music] [music] Welcome to Pakistan where almost everyone told us not to go.
2:52 So, let's find out who is right.
2:56 What do you guys do here?
2:58 Uh, we need you to be here.
2:59 Oh, you want the picture?
3:02 Yes.
3:02 Let's go.
3:03 [music] Thank you.
3:08 Okay.
3:08 So many smiles already.
3:10 The guy is checking my passport.
3:11 Yeah.
3:11 [music] He asked if he could offer us a cup of tea.
3:15 Oh, nice.
3:21 Welcome to Pakistan.
3:23 This is This is wild.
3:25 There's a lot going on here.
3:26 Hello.
3:27 Hello.
3:27 How are you?
3:28 Oh wow.
3:29 Thank you.
3:29 From where?
3:30 From Sweden.
3:31 Sweden.
3:33 Sweden.
3:32 Thank you for having us in Pakistan.
3:34 Welcome.
3:34 There is a New Zealand player look like you.
3:38 That's true.
3:38 Actually, you do look like him.
3:41 I am.
3:42 Yeah.
3:42 I'm known as a cricket player here.
3:44 Mitchell.
3:44 Where are you going your We're going to a hotel.
3:47 Car.
3:47 Car.
3:48 Car.
3:48 Yeah.
3:48 Taxi.
3:48 Yeah.
3:49 Yeah.
3:49 No.
3:49 My car.
3:50 Your car?
3:51 Yeah.
3:51 Yes.
3:51 Uh, we said yes to a taxi.
3:53 Thank you.
3:54 Nice to meet you.
3:55 My [music] house is uh 3 hours me going.
3:57 3 hours.
3:58 Wow.
3:58 But you're going with me.
3:59 Enjoy like that.
4:00 No tension.
4:01 Anything.
4:01 I'm going with you to the mountains.
4:04 Yeah.
4:04 Thank you so much.
4:05 See you again.
4:06 I hope so.
4:06 Anything.
4:07 So problem.
4:08 No problem.
4:10 Wow.
4:10 Everyone wants to help.
4:11 It's uh it's [laughter] overwhelming.
4:14 We have not spent 5 minutes on Pakistani soil
4:16 and we've been invited to a man's home 3 hours away.
4:19 These guys said they would drive us.
4:22 And something very funny that's starting to happen is
4:25 that people are starting to think that Quentyn is Pakistani.
4:30 After one [music] minute in the country,
4:31 someone came to me and and spoke to me in Ug.
4:34 Yeah.
4:34 I was like, Ken, hello.
4:37 [laughter] The thing is Quentin his whole life has been told
4:40 he's looks like a Pakistani [music] even though he's from Switzerland.
4:43 I'm on a mission.
4:45 Let's meet.
4:45 We're finally we're finally home.
4:47 It's a prophecy.
4:55 You look like your brothers.
4:57 Brothers.
4:59 Thank you.
5:01 We had only planned to book one hotel room to have somewhere we could
5:04 leave our luggage while we explored the city
5:06 looking for a stranger to stay with.
5:09 But as we went to head out onto the Peshawar streets for the first time alone,
5:12 [music] we were stopped by the hotel manager.
5:15 Apparently, we need like local security if you want to go out.
5:20 if you want to leave the hotel, but I'm telling him I think we'll be fine.
5:24 I think it's just extreme precautions.
5:28 I think I hope.
5:31 What was it that um triggered the police security like this last month?
5:36 The suicide bomber attack near the southern area.
5:40 A brazen attack shook Peshawar on Monday morning as gunmen targeted
5:44 the headquarters of the frontier constabularary which is a paramilitary force
5:49 and from then onward we they have been receiving
5:51 the potential threats for bombing regarding the Chinese nationals.
5:55 Interesting.
5:56 So mainly Chinese people are
5:57 mainly mainly I informed them and then they said we I'm sending the escort.
6:01 Oh they're sending an escort.
6:02 Okay.
6:02 Should we be worried?
6:05 Uh, no.
6:06 No.
6:07 Okay.
6:07 Okay.
6:08 Okay.
6:08 Okay.
6:09 Okay.
6:09 We just The police escort is mandatory.
6:12 Okay.
6:12 At first, we were quickly regretting not just having gone [music] with our bags
6:15 and gear with some of the people we
6:17 met at the airport and avoided this altogether.
6:20 But after speaking to another creator who had been here recently,
6:23 when the police spotted him on the street, they stopped him as well.
6:26 Meaning that [music] if we wanted to be in the city,
6:28 there was no way around this.
6:30 We took a moment to have a serious discussion about the risk
6:33 factor of trying to go into the streets without a police escort.
6:36 What did you tell them?
6:37 Well, I said no first and then I signed
6:39 a paper saying like I like revoke my police escort
6:43 like and then there was a guy sitting
6:44 in the reception who apparently is like secret like undercover police
6:49 who was like, "Yeah, no,
6:50 we're not letting them go without it." Quinton, honestly,
6:52 like if you don't feel that this is safe,
6:54 we're not going to force you, you know?
6:56 So it's it's we we have to decide individually what we feel comfortable with.
7:00 I told my mom it was safe by Yeah.
7:06 Well, we were worried [music] that this would completely
7:09 prevent us from having natural interactions with the locals.
7:12 But it quickly became clear that the current government's regulations did
7:16 not give the option for any foreigners to go anywhere unsupervised.
7:20 And if we refused, we would not be allowed [music] to enter the streets.
7:24 And so for the sake of being compliant and not being unnecessarily risky,
7:28 we decided to go along with our designated police escort.
7:32 Oh wow.
7:33 Okay.
7:36 Hello.
7:36 Hi.
7:36 Nice to meet you.
7:37 How are you?
7:39 Now you can do whatever you want.
7:40 No problems.
7:41 We will here to assist you in any way anywhere you want to go.
7:46 They will be here with you.
7:47 And there is nothing like not allowed.
7:48 It's all allowed for whatever you want to do.
7:50 But just they they will be here with you.
7:52 That's great.
7:53 The other issue we were now learning was that if we wanted to stay with a local,
7:56 they would [music] need to be vetted by the government.
7:59 So, for the time being, we told them a bit of a wide lie [music]
8:02 that we were going out to meet a friend of ours.
8:04 You guys will stay with your friend?
8:07 Yeah, tonight.
8:07 Yeah.
8:08 Yeah.
8:08 Your friend is going to meet you in the market or you're going to visit him or
8:12 we can we can tell you more about it in a bit.
8:14 Yeah.
8:14 It's kind of a adventure.
8:17 Okay.
8:17 Don't worry about it at all.
8:20 We just need to find the person first and then you know it's a long story.
8:23 Do you speak English?
8:24 Anyone of you with me?
8:25 No English.
8:27 Okay, great.
8:27 [laughter] No worries.
8:29 Okay.
8:30 All right.
8:30 I have never had this happen.
8:32 We are going to be walking around the streets here.
8:34 We're going to try to get a little bit of distance from our lovely escort here.
8:37 Not fully sure why this is the case and uh it's not [music] ideal
8:41 for the way that we like to tell stories and make videos, but you know.
8:44 Did
8:44 Did you tell them that we have a friend?
8:46 That we're going to meet a friend?
8:48 Yeah.
8:48 I didn't tell them we don't know that friend yet.
8:52 Who's that guy?
8:53 And as we were about to walk onto these unpredictable [music] streets,
8:56 we really understood that data was our most important asset right now.
9:00 Without it, we would not be able to navigate this country
9:02 we've never been to or be able to communicate with the locals.
9:06 And that is exactly where this video sponsor, Aerolo,
9:08 comes in to save us and may help you out quite a lot for travels in the future.
9:13 Aerolo [music] is an eim,
9:14 which is basically a digital SIM card
9:16 that gives you instant data the second you land.
9:19 No running around hunting for SIM cards at the airport or crazy roaming bills.
9:23 You just download the app before you leave,
9:25 pick your destination, and you'll be connected instantly.
9:27 Plus, we keep our original phone numbers for messages
9:30 and [music] calls so that our families can still reach us.
9:32 And right now, if you use code Yestheria checkout,
9:35 you get $3 off your first eim.
9:37 When we planned [music] this trip to Pakistan
9:39 with its travel restrictions and reputation as being dangerous,
9:42 we knew we'd need data the second we landed.
9:45 And without Aero, filming [music] episodes like
9:46 this in risky places would not be possible.
9:49 It helps us minimize risk, [music] navigate the country,
9:51 and connect closer to the kind locals
9:53 and uncover what the real Pakistan [music] is like.
9:56 So, if you're planning an upcoming trip,
9:58 download the Arrow app using the link in the description
10:00 or use code yes theory for $3 off your first eim.
10:05 Okay, now let's get back to exploring this very fascinating city.
10:16 [music] [music] This feels like arriving in a completely new world right now.
10:34 To be honest, this reminds me a lot [music] of Afghanistan.
10:37 Um, and the reason for that is this region is I don't know if it's majority,
10:41 but at least a very large portion
10:42 of the people living here [music] are ethnically Afghan.
10:45 They actually speak a different language here than the rest of Pakistan.
10:48 They speak Pashtu and actually [music] like a local dialect.
10:51 And in the rest of Pakistan, they speak Udu.
10:53 How are you?
10:56 Good.
10:56 Many beautiful smiles here.
10:58 Yeah.
10:58 Makes my nerves comes down a bit.
11:01 Yeah, I think I'm more nervous with the police
11:02 walking with actually than walking with the people.
11:07 Yeah.
11:10 Nice to meet you.
11:12 How are you?
11:14 Good.
11:13 Thank you.
11:13 Nice to meet you.
11:14 Thomas, nice to meet you.
11:15 What's your name?
11:16 Which country you come?
11:18 Sweden.
11:18 Take with me shop.
11:22 Very famous.
11:23 We're walking to the bazaar now.
11:24 So maybe maybe later.
11:26 Okay.
11:26 So nice to meet you.
11:27 Yeah.
11:27 Thank you.
11:27 Thank you.
11:28 You can you can say hi to Thomas.
11:30 How are you?
11:31 What is your name?
11:33 Thomas.
11:32 Thomas.
11:33 Thomas.
11:33 You
11:34 my Zahara.
11:36 Zahara.
11:36 Do you want to tell Thomas what you told me?
11:37 The world they spam the these people.
11:40 They are terrorist and they are how did you find?
11:43 Everyone is so nice and they are very peaceful and they respect people
11:48 and they don't disturb the matter of other people.
11:52 What help may I can do with you?
11:54 You want to help us?
11:55 Oh, thank you so much.
11:56 Thank you.
11:57 Every single person is just so curious and uh there's like a very
12:00 genuine playful curiosity and every person is
12:03 very thankful that we're just here visiting.
12:05 It's a bit overwhelming actually.
12:06 Hello.
12:07 How are you?
12:09 Nice to meet you.
12:10 Nice to meet you.
12:22 Thank you.
12:25 Alhamdulillah.
12:25 Alhamdulillah.
12:27 Pakistan.
12:28 Very good.
12:31 After wandering the streets for a while,
12:33 we stopped to check out one of the food stands and finally
12:36 gave in to one of our many offers to have some tea.
12:41 Wow, that's delicious.
12:43 This is our first authentic Pakistani tea on the side of the street.
12:47 The energy here is incredible.
12:49 I feel so safe.
12:50 I feel so like welcome.
12:51 Every single person is smiling.
12:53 If you use even one local word,
12:55 people are like, [music] they can't even believe it.
12:57 Tam, so good.
13:00 So good.
13:02 No, no, no, no.
13:04 Are you sure?
13:07 Thank you so much.
13:08 Thank you.
13:08 I have a feeling we're going to drink a lot of tea.
13:10 I have a feeling.
13:11 And I have a feeling no one's going to let us like pay for something.
13:15 Then out of the blue,
13:16 we crossed paths with the last thing we [music] expected to find in Pashawara.
13:21 Hello guys.
13:21 Hi.
13:23 Yeah.
13:24 How are you, man?
13:25 What's up?
13:25 You watch yesterday theory?
13:27 Yeah, from the start.
13:28 Wow.
13:28 What the hell?
13:29 When you guys did the 30 days challenge.
13:32 Yeah.
13:31 I'm watching from that time.
13:33 Oh my god.
13:33 That's like 10 years ago.
13:35 Yes, exactly.
13:36 I'm I'm in shock that you used to spawn here and you just arrived here.
13:39 Yeah.
13:39 I just cannot believe I just met you, man.
13:42 Would not think we had any Yes subscribers in Peshawar.
13:44 No, no, I'm starting from the I'm watching from the start, man.
13:47 What's your name?
13:47 My name is Jawad.
13:48 Jawad.
13:49 Jawad.
13:50 Nice to meet you.
13:50 If you send me a message,
13:51 we're going to go explore and then maybe we can uh find each other later.
13:54 But you think we're safe walking around here, right?
13:56 Yeah.
13:56 Yeah.
13:57 100% safe.
13:58 You can in case you go to any shop, you you tell them that you're hungry,
14:02 you haven't eaten, they will give you anything, whatever they have to eat.
14:07 Thanks.
14:07 Okay, man.
14:08 Sure.
14:08 Much love, brother.
14:09 Nice to meet you, brother.
14:09 Much love, brother.
14:10 Odds of meeting a yes subscriber here have got to be like zero.
14:13 Yeah.
14:13 Yeah.
14:14 That's mash.
14:17 You good?
14:18 As we made our way deeper and deeper into the center,
14:21 the [music] city's fascinating history was felt all around us.
14:25 Pishawar is the [music] oldest city in Pakistan and was in fact
14:29 the reason why we wanted to come here in the first place.
14:32 [music] Its name comes from a Persian phrase meaning frontier city as it
14:36 stands [music] at the end of the Kyber
14:38 Pass which connects Afghanistan to Pakistan.
14:41 For centuries, this pass was the main gateway
14:44 from Central Asia to the Indian [music] subcontinent,
14:46 making this the reason why Peshawar became so rich,
14:50 but also so commonly [music] contested.
14:52 Over the past 2,600 years, it has been ruled by 30 different kingdoms,
14:57 dynasties, and empires, including the Greeks,
15:00 Persians, Mughals, [music] Afghans, and the British.
15:03 Pashau's location in the middle of the continent has made
15:05 it a target of political attacks [music] for its entire existence.
15:09 a reality that our police friends were a constant [music] reminder of.
15:19 Every corner here is a movie.
15:22 No, it's okay.
15:22 It's okay.
15:23 Thank you.
15:23 Thank you so much.
15:24 He wanted to get us something to eat.
15:25 The main thing that you miss in this video is how incredible the smell is here.
15:30 It's like toasted nuts right now, this street.
15:33 And it's like it's actually incredible.
15:35 There's a sensory overload happening here.
15:37 Yeah, for sure.
15:38 What's up, man?
15:38 How you doing?
15:41 Huh?
15:41 Sweden.
15:41 [music] Sweden.
15:43 Yeah.
15:43 Sweden.
15:43 Western Europe.
15:45 Yes.
15:45 Where you going?
15:45 Nice to meet you.
15:46 Hi, man.
15:47 Nice to meet you.
15:47 Nice to meet you, man.
15:51 Salamkum.
15:52 Salam.
15:52 How are youam?
15:54 Where you from?
15:57 Sweden.
15:57 Nice to meet you.
15:58 [music]
15:59 We used so good.
16:01 Thank you so much.
16:01 Everyone is so kind here.
16:03 Wherever we go, people are offering and giving us stuff.
16:06 It's part of a culture.
16:07 We push are very peaceful people.
16:09 We hope [music] that people will leave us within peace.
16:12 Yeah.
16:12 In you are very famous in Facebook though.
16:16 You know yesterday there I I'm north.
16:19 Okay.
16:19 Okay.
16:21 Yeah.
16:20 But you've seen before.
16:22 Nice to meet you.
16:23 And you [music] work here or just
16:24 uh I just uh study nursing.
16:26 Nursing.
16:26 Okay.
16:27 Very cool.
16:27 Now still uh doing my internship in a lish hospital.
16:30 Inshallah I will uh travel uh to Sweden also.
16:33 Oh that would be great.
16:34 My favorite country Sweden.
16:35 He just love you.
16:37 Nice man.
16:38 I I giving some message for everyone.
16:40 You come visit Pakistan and especially coming
16:43 KPKA is a very lovely people living here.
16:47 Everybody we like cast.
16:49 Thank you.
16:49 You're coming anytime.
16:50 Thank you so much.
16:51 Thank you.
16:52 Beautiful message.
16:53 I feel like very comfortable right now.
16:54 You know
16:55 this is the thing that everyone misunderstands about [music] this region.
16:58 Everyone told us like be careful.
16:59 That is literally what everyone said.
17:00 They said be safe, be careful.
17:02 And it's the same anytime I went to Iraq,
17:04 anytime I went to Syria and Afghanistan,
17:06 [music] people have no issues with foreigners.
17:08 In fact, they're just so excited that you're here visiting.
17:11 And I think it's the fear that some [music]
17:13 of our own news install in us that like,
17:15 oh, if you go there, they don't like foreigners.
17:17 And it's my experience has been the exact opposite.
17:20 He has something to say.
17:21 Nice to meet you.
17:22 He look like Pakistani, not you.
17:24 Oh, yeah.
17:25 He looks like Pakistani.
17:26 I think so.
17:27 I was talking to him and he just said,
17:28 "Yeah, you look like Pakistanis." Don't dare speak English.
17:32 Has anyone spoken to you in Pash before?
17:35 Really?
17:36 Yeah, I promise.
17:38 You're finally home.
17:41 Finally.
17:40 I think we've walked like three blocks.
17:43 And I don't even know where we're going.
17:45 I'm just walking.
17:46 I would like to get a local outfit.
17:47 Our mission is to find a local outfit,
17:49 but it will probably take like 7 days before we
17:51 reach the basar in the speed we're going in now.
17:54 That was very close to your foot.
17:56 I wonder what the police officer are thinking now.
17:57 By the way, we're just running around drinking tea, chatting with people.
18:02 And well, after shaking off our nerves,
18:04 we were starting to get very comfortable walking the streets.
18:11 Wow.
18:11 What is What is this?
18:12 This is the meat.
18:13 Meat.
18:15 You're eating this?
18:16 I've never tried this before.
18:18 Check this.
18:18 This is your food.
18:20 Yeah, no problem.
18:21 And then I just do this.
18:22 Yeah.
18:22 Yeah.
18:22 And then I just eat it like that.
18:23 Yeah.
18:26 Wow.
18:26 Oh my god.
18:27 That's so good.
18:28 Wow.
18:28 That's one of the best things I've ever had.
18:34 [music]
18:36 Hi guys.
18:37 I'm good.
18:38 Thank you.
18:39 Wow.
18:40 This looks incredible.
18:41 We're going full street food here.
18:46 Oh, wow.
18:47 [music] So nice to meet you.
18:53 Yeah.
18:53 Thank you so much.
18:58 Quinton went missing for a while and then we found them here.
19:00 What's happening here?
19:01 Just chilling, bro.
19:02 Your brothers?
19:03 Yes, brothers.
19:04 Yes.
19:04 Yes.
19:06 Relax.
19:05 I thought you were here like working, making videos.
19:08 I was I was working and filming and these guys told me,
19:10 "Yeah, just sit down and relax.
19:12 [laughter] Drop your bag and relax.
19:23 [music] [music] [music] [music]
19:48 Heat.
19:49 We are walking on tight corners here.
19:54 Nice to meet you.
19:55 It is a It's not really a sidewalk going on here.
19:58 Hello.
19:59 We are trying to still [music] make it to the bazaar.
20:03 This bizaar is 15 minutes away from our hotel and it's
20:07 been about 3 hours [music] and we still haven't made it.
20:09 Yeah, the day is flying by here.
20:11 It is already 2:00 p.m.
20:12 We've not achieved any of our goals so far of getting
20:16 a local outfit or logging in somewhere to stay tonight.
20:19 [music] Okay, I think we have officially reached the basar.
20:28 Pishawar has always been a melting pot of culture
20:30 for the ancient world and a hub for learning and exchange.
20:34 It was once a major stop on the ancient Silk [music] Road,
20:37 the road connecting China to Europe and was a trading
20:39 hub where silk and jade from China met ivory, spices, and textiles from India.
20:45 [music] One of the epicenters for this exchange was this bizarre,
20:49 where tired merchants and curious locals could pay [music] a professional
20:52 storyteller to listen to recited tales of distant travels in local folklore,
20:58 some of [music] which could stretch over several days.
21:01 We want to get the local local [music] clothing.
21:06 Hi.
21:06 You good?
21:08 Well, the police is a real home here.
21:09 He found a place where we can buy the local traditional outfit.
21:13 So, Enam, you're the best.
21:14 Thank you.
21:14 Thank you.
21:15 Nice to meet you.
21:16 Nice to meet you.
21:20 Wow.
21:24 You the money.
21:25 Take it from free.
21:28 No, no, no, no, no.
21:29 We But we got these.
21:30 We're happy to pay for these outfit.
21:32 It's hard to pay for anything here.
21:34 You actually look like a localam [music] feel like Elvis Presley right now.
21:52 Like I don't know.
21:53 I thought I would blend in in these clothes and I and I don't.
21:56 He said that we have not allowed to you stay the season.
22:01 Okay.
22:01 Why?
22:02 Why?
22:02 Why not?
22:03 Why?
22:04 Security security reason.
22:06 [music] So we're not we're not allowed to stay with local security reason.
22:19 Our lovely friend who recognized us from YouTube, he is here [music] now.
22:23 and hopefully he can bail us out so we
22:25 don't have to be with the police all the time.
22:27 But we're also very grateful that they have been around and supported.
22:29 A group of locals we ate lunch with [music]
22:31 had invited us to their home and so had Jawad.
22:34 However, it seemed that the police were adamant on not letting
22:37 us go even with Jawad that we were clearly comfortable with.
22:40 And so our mission seemed more and more hopeless
22:43 as the end of the day seemed to be rapidly approaching.
22:50 Okay, so after our first little round meeting people, being fed,
22:55 getting teaund times, we have now transformed into true locals.
23:00 We have our local yesterday representative who joined us.
23:04 Hello guys.
23:04 We feel fully integrated.
23:07 Wow.
23:07 So many amazing things going on on these streets.
23:09 Every corner there's something going on.
23:13 Bro, people are laughing so much.
23:15 Like when you people are looking at us now
23:18 and we're like hello hello hi hi welcome to Pakistan everyone.
23:22 You welcoming the Pakistanis
23:25 or what was your what's the logic here?
23:27 Yeah I just felt that you know people think I'm from Pakistan
23:29 now so I can as much be an official ambassador you know
23:33 he just the police officer told me I look like Pakistanis now.
23:36 You're from the police.
23:37 I've never had bigger contrast with like how safe I feel
23:41 on the street with how intense it feels to have like a police escort,
23:47 you know, like there's many other places where I felt
23:49 less safe where having a police escort would have been nice.
23:54 While we continued walking down the street,
23:56 suddenly one of our police officers invited us into this unknown
23:59 building for a little break from the busy streets.
24:04 This is I don't even see anything.
24:07 Old hotel.
24:08 Okay.
24:09 Here.
24:11 Oh, nice.
24:16 Okay.
24:16 This is our little spot here.
24:19 Do I still blend in?
24:21 Do I still blend in?
24:22 Yeah.
24:25 After the tea, we stumbled upon a small
24:26 opening that led us straight into this beautiful mosque.
24:30 [music]
24:43 [music] [music] [music]
24:59 people very friendly.
25:00 Yeah, they are extremely friendly.
25:02 They have been through some tough times.
25:04 So, it's a good sight to see you guys here.
25:07 I mean like Pishaw was not always like this.
25:10 Like if you go back of a decade 10 years ago,
25:13 the security it was [music] it was the worst man.
25:18 Like there was suicide bombs every other week.
25:20 It was extremely hard time for the people of Pishawa.
25:24 Since 2001, Pashawa has [music] been one
25:26 of Pakistan's hardest hit cities by terrorism.
25:29 its location near the [music] Afghan border, the presence of militant networks,
25:33 and decades of conflict tied to the Taliban and [music]
25:36 ISIS have placed it on the front line of regional instability.
25:40 But it was 2009 [music] that marked a turning point.
25:43 That year, violence escalated dramatically.
25:45 Coordinated attacks became [music] frequent, targeting markets,
25:48 mosques, hotels, police stations, and everyday civilians.
25:53 [music] Vishawar was no longer experiencing isolated incidents.
25:56 It had become a city under sustained attack.
26:00 My mother and my sister were in in the market and uh there was a blast.
26:05 We were at home but it was so loud that we heard it.
26:08 We didn't know that where it was or what happened but
26:12 we knew that there has been a blast.
26:16 Uh and it was extremely close to them like a few streets uh pass them.
26:22 Our elders would used to uh go out in the morning
26:26 and we would we wouldn't know that if they would come back here in the evening.
26:31 That was what what was happening at that time.
26:34 One of the goals of the attacks was to replace Pakistan's legal [music]
26:37 system with their own interpretation of Sharia
26:39 law enforced through fear and violence.
26:42 In response, [music] Pakistan launched
26:44 sweeping military operations and counterterror reforms.
26:48 And by 2015, the security landscape began to change.
26:52 Checkpoints multiplied.
26:53 Militant [music] strongholds were
26:54 dismantled and intelligence operations intensified.
26:58 For several years, the strategy worked.
27:00 Attacks dropped [music] sharply and Peshawar
27:02 experienced a cautious but noticeable calm.
27:06 But [music] it was short-lived.
27:07 In 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.
27:11 Militant groups operating across the border regrouped [music] and reemerged.
27:15 By 2022, attacks began rising again, signaling a renewed phase of violence.
27:21 Today, the threat has not returned [music] to the levels of the early 2010s,
27:25 but it is serious enough that Pashaw
27:27 is once [music] again considered a high-risk destination.
27:30 It's the reason travel here now requires heightened security.
27:32 [music] And while we were forced to move through the city with a police escort,
27:38 how did people recover and find strength despite all of those?
27:41 To be honest, I it was we didn't we haven't recovered to be honest.
27:46 We have lost people uh close to us.
27:50 Everybody has lost someone in Pashawa due to terrorism.
27:54 I'm just happy to say that we haven't lost our core values to the terrorists.
28:01 Yeah, we are still strong.
28:01 We we can p we push through that.
28:04 So I'll say that we are we were we are stronger than them.
28:07 I'm grateful and I know I speak behalf
28:10 of all of the estster community that you are like
28:12 a representative of the Pakistani people in like you
28:15 know your village and your city that had like
28:18 yeah these dark spots of history but like all this light
28:21 and love that we can that we can feel here.
28:24 Exactly.
28:24 As our first day of exploring was coming to an end, we felt conflicted.
28:28 On one hand, after spending the day meeting some of the [music] kindest locals
28:31 of any place we travel to, we felt so much more assured of our safety.
28:36 [music] Yet at the same time,
28:37 learning more about the recent history of terrorism and our police escorts
28:41 [music] being adamant that it wasn't safe to stay with a stranger,
28:44 we had no choice but to [music] regroup,
28:46 book some lastminute hotel rooms, and try again tomorrow.
28:51 [music] We were lost puppies a while ago, but now we're we're following you.
28:57 So you take us where you wish to take us and we we follow.
29:01 That's the kind of responsibility I was not expecting.
29:03 So [laughter]
29:05 is there something you feel that people
29:06 misunderstand around the world about Pakistan?
29:10 They generalize.
29:10 You know what I mean?
29:11 Like when they hear the words Muslim, they generalize all of us.
29:16 Like uh Taliban does not represent the Muslims.
29:19 I think they they shouldn't even be called Muslims man.
29:21 They are extremists and extremists have no place
29:24 in in the in this community in this in this culture.
29:27 It is mad to think about being in 2026 with all
29:31 the knowledge we have about history and you know, genocide.
29:34 Humans still find a reason to attack each other and spread hate.
29:37 And it just feels absolutely regressing every time
29:40 it it it happens again around the world.
29:42 But that's why we do what we do, man.
29:44 We try to build bridges.
29:45 We try to show people that don't trust what the news tell you 24/7.
29:50 You know, don't be afraid of other people.
29:51 And the more afraid we are from each other,
29:53 the more distant we get from each other.
29:55 And then there's less conversation,
29:56 less connection, and that's when conflicts happen.
30:03 [music]
30:02 As you've probably begun to notice while watching this episode,
30:05 we haven't run into many women while exploring the city
30:08 or had the chance to talk to any of them,
30:10 which we were beginning to learn [music] was not a coincidence.
30:13 Take you up on that.
30:16 Aacha, [music] uh, it's actually the female part of the park.
30:19 Ah, yeah.
30:19 Yeah.
30:19 Yeah.
30:20 So, one part is a female part, one it's segregated.
30:24 Yeah.
30:25 Yeah.
30:24 Where I come from, like it's not like that.
30:27 So, so curious to hear like why is it [music] like that here?
30:30 just to give them the privacy.
30:31 I mean like it's world you can you
30:34 cannot see uh inside like what's happening inside.
30:37 [music] It's for their privacy like if you if they want
30:40 to eat something or drink something or just want to have a breather
30:45 you know so they can have that peacefully.
30:47 We had a quite hard time to like film women and speak to women.
30:51 Yeah.
30:51 Like what's what's your thoughts on that?
30:53 It's a cultural thing like it does not mean
30:55 that we have to keep them in our home.
30:58 Yeah.
30:58 It's just so different where I'm from.
31:00 I miss speaking to women here because I'm curious and I want to talk, but I also
31:04 want to respect respect culture and like and these things.
31:09 What did you ask?
31:10 I just want to get a shot of him.
31:12 He was just sitting here combing his beard.
31:19 [music] have it here.
31:29 Yeah.
31:30 Sing boys.
31:34 Which country?
31:35 Uh, Sweden.
31:36 Sweden.
31:37 Sweden.
31:38 Sweden.
31:37 Very beautiful country.
31:39 Thank you.
31:39 Thank you so much.
31:40 What's your name?
31:42 My name is Zafur Hussein.
31:44 Safarro Hussein.
31:45 Wow.
31:45 Beautiful name.
31:46 Beautiful name.
31:47 He wants to invite us for a cup of tea.
31:49 He's too iconic looking to say no.
31:57 [laughter] We don't understand each other, but we're [music] friends.
31:58 We're friends.
32:00 Okay.
32:01 What's your name?
32:03 I've never heard these names before [music] in my life.
32:05 Like every person here tells me their name.
32:07 I was like, that is an amazing name.
32:08 Why do you like to [music] drink tea with your friends?
32:13 Because [music] just not drinking the tea,
32:15 it's the sharing, it's the it's talking,
32:17 it's the it's the hangout that the guy the guys enjoy right here.
32:22 Wow.
32:28 [music] people very peaceful.
32:33 Yeah.
32:36 Yeah.
32:36 We have place for you in in our hearts.
32:38 Yeah.
32:38 And he represents when he said that he he represents all of Yeah.
32:44 Why is a guest so [music] important for people of pashawi?
32:49 It's a tradition.
32:51 Our forefathers gave us this tradition.
32:53 So, and we will give it to our children's you know.
32:56 Yeah.
32:56 Yeah.
33:07 If I am having a quarrel with you for example and I
33:11 come to your home like whatever problem that we had, it's finished.
33:15 We will just forget it.
33:16 I knocked your door as a guest.
33:18 You know that I came in peace.
33:20 This is the value that guests have.
33:22 These are the rights that guest have here in Pishaw.
33:25 These are the traditions that our forefathers gave us our our ancestors.
33:30 [music] [snorts]
33:33 And can I ask what was awaken in you or what are you feeling right now?
33:36 No, I actually I had an uncle ankle who had
33:39 a who got into some stuff with some people and [music] to just put it mildly,
33:46 a lot of people died and a lot of suffering happened during that time.
33:50 So, it's a it's a sore spot.
33:55 Yeah.
33:54 Very sorry to hear about that.
33:56 Yeah.
33:57 [snorts] Yeah.
33:58 [laughter] It's fine, man.
34:00 It's fine.
34:00 It's fine.
34:02 It's fine.
34:03 It's fine.
34:05 Yeah.
34:05 We see you brother.
34:07 You're a strong light here in Peshawar and in Pakistan and for the world.
34:10 So don't think it was a coincidence that we run into each other here on this.
34:14 I still can't believe I'm still this from [music] Pakistan.
34:24 He looks Pakistani.
34:26 My new fathers [laughter] fathers.
34:33 [music] [music] They're arguing about who's going to pay here.
34:45 Look at this.
34:47 Everyone has money in their hands.
34:49 [music] [music] In this very moment, as [music] we sat in this peaceful
35:05 park drinking tea with these elderly gentlemen,
35:07 the purpose of our trip felt like it all made sense.
35:10 [music] What was just 48 hours
35:12 ago unfamiliar and daunting had become comfortable.
35:16 Pashawar had [music] rocked our expectations in all sorts of directions,
35:20 taken our senses on a journey to places they had never been to before,
35:23 [music] and then caught us gently and dropped us here.
35:26 Most people had warned us to be afraid to travel here.
35:29 But instead of encountering hostility and [music] violence,
35:32 we were treated like royalty as everyone was so happy to see foreign visitors.
35:36 You said you're happy to see us like Exactly.
35:39 Because you are guests and we all always offer good things for guests.
35:43 The second thing is that you explore our culture to all over the world.
35:47 Yes.
35:47 Yes.
35:47 Yes sir.
35:48 We also want such thing like visiting to foreign
35:51 countries but we have been in progress in our studies.
35:55 Yes.
35:55 Because of that, we can't go there.
35:56 [music] The next morning, we said goodbye to our new friend, Jawad, my brother.
36:01 So nice to meet you.
36:02 You're Stefan.
36:03 You're a beautiful man.
36:05 I still can't believe I met you, man.
36:07 I still [music] can't believe.
36:08 Okay.
36:09 Good luck.
36:09 I'm going to miss you, man.
36:11 Yeah.
36:11 Thank you so much for showing us your city.
36:12 [music] Good luck.
36:14 While we had had such an amazing time exploring Peshawar,
36:17 the failure of our main mission of staying [music] with a stranger stung,
36:21 especially with the numerous offers we had actually received.
36:24 So, [music] we decided that we weren't quite done yet
36:26 and that we would continue that mission on our next location.
36:30 However, to get there,
36:31 we were once again made [music] to travel under intense conditions.
36:34 This is the current situation.
36:36 We're going to be escorted by police.
36:37 At some point, they're going to pass us over to another
36:39 security group and then we're going to get to Islamabad somehow.
36:42 We are fully improvising at this point.
36:50 We have a full-on military escort in front of us and behind us.
36:54 Yeah.
36:55 Let's see where our Pakistani adventure takes us.
36:59 [music] Uh, another one.
37:05 Oh, okay.
37:06 They're leaving.
37:08 Okay.
37:08 [music] Uh, Islamabad.
37:10 Yeah.
37:11 Yeah.
37:11 Then the different escort after.
37:13 Yeah.
37:13 After different one after different after different.
37:16 So, from the moment we said we want to grab a taxi, which was like an hour ago,
37:20 they've produced an entire chain of escorts all the along the way.
37:24 This one there.
37:25 Yeah, it's like a relay.
37:28 Yeah.
37:28 Here one.
37:31 [music] [music]