Moin Khan tries to change perceptions of Pakistan

LAHORE – A young Pakistani ended his 40,000km world tour by motorcycle in Lahore, December 31, but he still wants to do more to change the world’s perception of Pakistan.

“I tried to convince the world that Pakistan is not a rogue country, that Pakistanis are a peace-loving people, as are the people of other countries,” Moin Khan told Central Asia Online.

Moin, a 24-year old fan of sports motorcycles, embarked upon his tour – from San Francisco to Lahore – July 10. He rode through 21 countries and entered Pakistan December 21.

“I started my journey from San Francisco and crossed Canada, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Greece, France, England, Scotland, Monaco, Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Turkey and ... finally entered into Pakistan,” Moin said.

His mission was to highlight that not all Pakistanis are terrorists or extremists, he said. “My agenda was to help decrease the gap in the world’s perceptions of Pakistan,” Moin said. ”I met thousands of people, talked and stayed with them, and I think I had success getting a positive response of the people that common Pakistanis are good people.”

Moin started his trip aboard a Honda CBR 600 F4i sport bike from the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, the city where he earned a degree in international business from San Francisco State University.

He had an accident in Romania but recovered within a month.

“I found great love in Romania; Romanians cared for me a lot,” Moin told Central Asia Online. “I remained hospitalised for a week and celebrated my birthday on November 5 there.”

Moin was warmly welcomed at Thokar Niaz Beg, the entry point to Lahore on Multan Road. A group of young bikers joined him on his last phase to Lahore.

He was taken to Expo Centre, where a grand reception awaited him.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif welcomed him at Expo Centre.

The respect and love he found exceeded his expectations, Moin said.

“I had US $9,000 (Rs. 806,000) when I started my world tour, while I needed US $40,000 (Rs. 3.6m) for the whole journey,” he said. “I ran out of cash in Romania but did not lose my hope; people donated money and everything I needed,” Moin said.

“People gave me accommodation, food and even spare parts.”

Moin will stay in Pakistan during 2012.

“I will try to introduce sports biking in Pakistan and want to train Pakistani women in this field,” Moin announced. “Women who are interested in this game will get free gear and training.”