1.
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A foreign mountaineering expedition desirous of climbing of peak in Pakistan shall apply on the application form (Annexure A) with one extra copy in the nearest Embassy / Consulate of Pakistan. A copy with a photo copy of royalty receipt should be sent directly to the Gilgit Baltistan Council Secretariat, Provident Fund Building Zero Point G-7/1, Islamabad. |
2.
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Application forms for allotment of peaks should be accepted by a Pakistani Embassy / Consulate |
3.
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Such application would then be sent by the said Embassy/Consulate immediately to the Tourism Division where they would be processed on “First-come-First served basis”. |
4.
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Incomplete application forms or such forms as are received either before or after the stipulated dates may not be entertained. |
5.
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If a party is not sure of the composition of the team, it shall apply stating the fact and without attaching particulars of members with the application form. In such cases peaks will be provisionally booked. A formal permission letter shall issue only after particulars at Annexure-B are received in Gilgit Baltistan Council Secretariat, Provident Fund Building Zero Point G-7/1, Islamabad. at least three months in advance of arrival of the party in Pakistan. If particulars of the new members are not received within stipulated period and party arrives in Pakistan, it may delay their departure to the mountains till the clearance of new members is obtained in about a week. Under this procedure a party shall not leave for Pakistan unless it is in receipt of the formal permission letter. No mountaineer would be a member of more than one expedition during a season. |
6.
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A party shall indicate in order of perference, at least 3-4 peaks so that available peaks could be allotted. A party shall be given permission for more than one 8000 metre peaks with the special permission by the Joint Secretary Gilgit Baltistan Council Secretariat, Provident Fund Building Zero Point G-7/1, Islamabad.. |
7.
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Gilgit Baltistan Council Secretariat.shall endeavour to send the mountaineering permit to a party within 60 days of receipt of application form in Tourism Division.Depending on the availability of the peak for the choiced period, Tourism Division will send provisional booking of the peak upon receipt of the completed application. |
8.
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Government reserves the right to allot a particular peak through any route to more than one party in the same season. |
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Cancellation |
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9.
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Government has the right to cancel the allotment of a peak at any time without assigning any reason. Amount of royalty deposited shall be refuned in such cases. |
10.
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In case, however, a party postpones/cancels its mountaineering plan for its own reasons, it shall so inform the Tourism Division by quickest possible means. In such a case royalty deposited shall neither be refunded nor it could be carried forward for future mountaineering in Pakistan. Change in the booking period during the same mountaineering season is possible subject to availablity of the peaks / route for the revised date. |
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Briefing / De-Briefing |
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11.
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The expedition upon arrival in Rawalpindi / Islamabad should see the officer concerned in Tourism Division for arranging meeting with the Liaison Officer and assistance on matters like insurance, purchase of rations and allied matters. After completing these formalities leader of the expedition shall ask for a date of formal briefing. For this purpose he shall give a minimum notice of 24 hours excluding Friday and Holidays. The preparatory work would entail a stay of about four-five days in Islamabad / Rawalpindi. |
12.
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On return from the mountains the leader of the party shall inform the concerned officer in the Tourism Division and obtain a date for debriefing by giving him a minimum notice of 24 hours excluding Friday and holidays. |
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Note : No party will leave for the mountains without formal briefing or leave the country without formal debriefing. |
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Liaison Officer (L.O.) |
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13.
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A party shall include in the expedition, as its member at least on L.O. to be detailed by the Government of Pakistan. |
14.
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A party shall pay for his food, accommodation and transport for mountains and back from the reporting date of the expedition in Islamabad till the date the party is debriefed. |
15.
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During the stay of a party at Rawalpindi/Islamabad the L.O. will be given daily allowance at the rate of US$ 30/- per day. The L.O. in a city of Northern Areas (such as Skardu, Gilgit etc.) is to be paid US $ 15/- per day and accommodation. |
16.
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A L.O. shall carry his personal equipment like any other member of the party. |
17.
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A L.O. shall be consulted on routes and local customs and if desired on matters such as transport, accommodation and rations. If however, a leader disagrees with L.O. he shall give him in writing the reasons for such disagreement. |
18.
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A L.O. shall extend maximum assistance to a party in making purchases etc. He shall, however, not handle any cash nor undertake any financial transactions on behalf of a leader / party. |
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Kit and Equipment |
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(I) For Liaision Officer |
19.
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A L.O. shall accompany a party to a maximum height with the consent of the leader or atleast stay at the base camp till the party descends and return with the party for debriefing at Islamabad. For this purpose a party shall provide him, free of cost necessary kit and equipment as detailed at Annexure – C in order to enable him to perform his duties without any risk to his person. |
20.
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Kit / equipment for L.O. should be brought to his measurements sent to a party in advance. If a party does not receive measurements before its departure for Pakistan it may bring standard size kit and equipment. Shirts and Jean trousers may be purchased in Pakistan to avoid size problems. |
(ii) For Low Altitude Porters |
21.
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A low altitude porter shall accompany a party upto the base camp (Maximum height 5,500 metres). For this purpose a party shall provide him with standard kit / equipment as detailed at Annexure – D free of cost. |
22.
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In case a low altitude porter is desired by the party to go above 5,500 metres (except passes enroute) he shall be entitled to kit/equipment and ration as prescribed for high altitude porters at Annexure – E. |
23.
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The cook will be provided the kit / equipment (except climbing tools) of a high altitude porter. |
(iii) For High Altitude Porters |
24.
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A party shall arrange to provide, free of cost, standard kit and equipment to a high altitude porter as detailed at Annexure – E in order to enable him to perform his duties. |
(IV) For Communication |
25.
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A party shall be equipped with reasonable communication means such as Walkie talkie, Radio / Transistor set, and a high powered transmitter for communication from mountains with district headquarters (optional frequencies allotted are 5201 KHZ, 6996-KHZ, 10282-KHZ, 15951-KHZ and 16411-KHZ). |
(iv) General |
26.
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Kit / equipment for porters shall be handed over to them in the presence of L.O. prior to the start of carvan. |
27.
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No party shall be allowed to proceed to its destination if the kit/equipment provided by it to L.O. / Porters is found incomplete or sub-standard in quality. Before leaving Rawalpindi / Islamabad a L.O. shall satisfy himself that the kit/equipment is complete and of required standard. Kit and equipment given to L.O. is returnable but, the items of personal use and clothing such as jackets, trousers, shirts, gloves, socks, caps, approach march boots, pull overs, ruck sack and sleeping bag are to be retained by the Liaison Officer. |
28.
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Use of communication system. It will be advisible to carry proper communication system by a party. The L.O. will also be provided appropriate communicational equipment. The obtaining clearance of communication system to be used by the party is indispensible which should be intimated will in time on prescribed form (Annexure-K). |
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Import / Export of Equipment / Kit |
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29.
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Equipment, non-consumable and consumable stores imported by a party into Pakistan shall be subject to the following conditions : |
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a. Equipment and non-consumable stores will be allowed temporary entry free of customs duty and sales tax leviable there on subject to an undertaking (Annexure-F) being furnished by a leader of the expedition to the effect that the equipment etc. will be re-exported out of Pakistan on completion of the mission and that no part of it will be sold or otherwise disposed of in Pakistan, failing which duty and sales tax leviable thereon will be paid.
b. Consumable stores and medicines will be allowed exemption from customs duty and sales tax subject to the said undertaking (Annexure – F) being furnished by the leader of the expedition to the effect that they will be used for the purpose for which they will be used for the purpose for which they have been imported and will not be sold or otherwise disposed off in Pakistan failing which customs duty and sales tax leviable thereon will be paid. The un-consumed portion will be re-exported out of Pakistan on completion of the mission.
c. Above conditions shall not apply when donation of consumable stores and medicines etc. is made in Pakistan with the prior permission of the Government and for which official receipt will be issued. |
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30.
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A party shall send to Tourism Division an application in triplicate as per said Annexure – F alongwith three copies of the list of equipment. Cost price of all the items shall also be shown on the said list. Tourism Division shall return one copy to the party after affixing signature / seal. Another copy shall be sent to the customs authority at the point of entry who shall clear the equipment when it arrives with a party. |
31.
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If some equipment is to be sent to Pakistan in advance. Tourism Division shall be so informed. In that case one copy of the application at the said Annexure-F alongwith its enclosures, shall be handed over to a clearing and forwarding agent to be nominated for his purpose by a party. Another copy shall be sent to the customs authority at the point of entry. |
32.
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After clearance of the equipment, the local agency shall have to arrange for its transport, storage and protection till it is handed over to the party on arrival. He shall also pay local octroi duty, if any. He shall be advised to contact a representative of Tourism Division in case of difficulty. |
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Wages of Porters and Transport Charges |
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33.
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A rough idea on wages and charges for animal and mechanical transport will be communicated to the party alongwith the formal permission letter. |
34.
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Payment of wages to porters shall be made when they are discharged. However, if a porter requires an advance payment, this may be given in the presence of L.O. / Guide and receipt obtained. |
35.
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In addition to daily wages, a party shall provide to a low altitude porter free rations as per Annexure-G or money in lieu of rations, as fixed by the Government from the day he is engaged till the day he is discharged. |
36.
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Similarly, free rations shall be provided to high altitude porter as per Annexure-H from the day he goes above 5,500 metres. |
37.
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Except in the case of sickness/injury no wages shall be paid to a porter for a day on which he does not work. If however, a party wants to have a rest day then porter(s) shall be paid full wages etc. |
38.
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For forced halts on bad weather days a party shall pay to porter full daily wages and rations. Decision of a leader about movement on such days shall be final. If , however, L.O. feels that the weather is too bad to march, he may ask the leader to halt the party. In case of disagreement with the advice of L.O. the leader should give in writing the reasons for such disagreement. |
39.
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A porter marching with a party for more than seven days shall be allowed every seventh day as holiday with full daily wages etc. |
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Insurance |
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40.
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A Liaison Officer shall be covered by an insurance of Rs. 300,000/- (Rupees three thousand) only. In case of partial disablement the amount of compensation shall be proportionate to the percentage of disablement as declared by a competent authority. |
41.
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A high altitude porter shall be insured for a sum of Rs. 200,000 (Rupees two hundred thousand only). In case of partial disablement the amount of compensation shall be proportionate to the percentage of disablement as declared by a Civil Surgeon. |
42.
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A low altitude porter shall be insured for a sum of Rs. 100,000/- (Rupees one hundred thousands only). In case a partial disablement, the amount, of compensation shall be proportionate to the percentage of disablement as declared by a civil Surgeon. |
43.
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Insurance cover shall be provided through a Pakistani company and Government shall help a party in getting this facility in Pakistan if so requested. |
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Medical Treatment |
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44.
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If in the opinion of a doctor/first aid specialist evacuation of a sick/injured porter from the mountain to a hospital in a district headquarters like Gilgit, Skardu or Chitral in necessary then the said party shall pay for his evacuation by a helicopter or other means. In case a L.O. feels that the porter is very sick and is not being evacuated, he shall ask the leader to arrange for his evacuation. If the leader disagrees with the advice of L.O. he shall give him in writing the reasons for such disagreement. The said statement would also need to be countersigned by the expedition’s doctor/first-aid specialist. |
45.
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A party is not responsible to pay for the evacuation and medical treatment of a sick/injured L.O. as the same shall be borne by his detailing/recommending authority. |
46.
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During sickness/injury in the mountains or hospitalization, a party shall pay half of the daily wages to a porter till the date it leaves the district headquarters for Rawalpindi/Islamabad. |
47.
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Medical facilities including surgical operations etc. are generally provided free of cost in Pakistani hospitals. Should some sickness/injuries to porters entail some expenditure, a party shall pay for the same. In case of death of a porter/cook or other hired person, the expedition would be responsible for the transport of the dead body from the place of the casualty to the place of hiring. |
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Royalty |
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48.
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Following are royalty rates for scaling peaks of various height in Pakistan :- |
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S No
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Heights of the Peak
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Royalty in US $
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For each additional member exceeding 7 per team an additional fee at the following rate will be charged.
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1.
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K-2 (8611 M) |
12,000 |
$ 3,000 |
2.
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8001-8500 (M) |
9,500 |
$ 3,000 |
3.
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7501-8000 (M) |
4,000 |
$ 1,000 |
4.
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7001-7500 (M) |
2,500 |
$ 500 |
5.
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6000-7000 (M) |
1,500 |
$ 500 |
(These rates are subject to periodic revision). Additional fee will be charged if the number of party is for more than one peak the additional number is to pay for the other peak also.
NOTE: Expeditions are required to deposit full amount of royalty with the nearest Embassy/Consulate / Tourism Division Government of Pakistan at the time of making an application for booking of a peak. The Head of account for depositing the royalty is :-
“1391-Fees, Fines and Forteitures” for accounting of the receipt relating to royalty/trekking fee realised from Mountaineering and Trekking. |
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49.
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An Embassy / Consulate shall forward to the Tourism Division a copy of the royalty receipt issued to the expedition. Amount of royalty, number and date of receipt issued may clearly be mentioned on the covering letter. |
50.
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A party shall indicate in its application form its order of preference for attempting the peak. In case the preference of a party is for the allotment of lower peak and the party is alloted a higher peak out of its preference it shall deposit the balance of the royalty within two weeks of receipt of communication from Tourism Division. In case the balance amount is not deposited within the stipulated period the allotment shall automatically stand cancelled. The amount of royalty collected shall not be refund to the party whose allotment has been cancelled. |
51.
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In case the first preference of a party is for the allotment of a higher peak but it is allotted a lower peak out of its preference the balance of the royalty shall be refunded to it by the concerned Embassy/Consulate of Pakistan on receipt of a letter of authorization from the Tourism Division. |
52.
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It shall be binding on a party to accept the allotment of a peak if it is one of those mentioned by it in its application form. In case of refusal to accept the allotment, the amount of royalty stand forfeited. |
53.
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If a party indicates its order of preference within a list of peaks submitted by it and all those peaks have already been allotted to other parties, it shall be asked to identify more peaks. In case of its inability to do so, the whole of its royalty shall be refunded to it. |
54.
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A foreign-cum-Pakistan party and a Pakistani-cum-foreign party shall deposit the full amount of royalty for the allotment of a peak. In case it qualifies for a discount of 50% on the royalty the balance of the amount shall be refunded to it accordingly. |
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Note : A foreign expedition party shall be allowed to get Pakistani member only from any Pakistani Mountaineering Club registered with the Tourism Division. Similarly such a Pakistani Club shall be allowed to organise a Pakistani-cum-Foreign expedition if it is registered with the Tourism Division. |
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Photography |
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(I) Aerial Photography |
55.
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Aerial photography of mountain peaks enroute to Northern Areas and Chitral is allowed after notifying the pilot of an aircraft or the Liaison Officer. |
(ii) Still Photography |
56.
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A party shall not photograph the following objects during its stay in Pakistan : |
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- Any Army, Navy and Air Force installations.
- Any equipment of Armed Forces such as ships/establishments, guns, tanks, vehicles, aircrafts and arms etc.
- Any Pakistan Aerodromes or its connected buildings and installations.
- Any tribal lady/ladies.
- Any other notified prohibited area/place.
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(iii) Making of Commercial Film including T.V. |
57.
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Subject to above, a party attempting a peak, situated in closed zone (i.e. 10 mile belt and 30 mile belt of Pakistan border with foreign countries) may take photographs/make films under the direct supervision of a L.O. |
58.
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For this purpose, a party shall identify one member of its team as the photographer for shooting of a film of academic interest. If, however, a party wants to include in the team some professional photographers for shooting of a professional films, the professional photographers for shooting of a professional films, the professional photographer(s) in that case shall be accompanied by an additional L.O under the same Terms and Conditions as for the L.O. Under this arrangement, professional photographers shall not be allowed to break into units. |
59.
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Export of such films out of Pakistan shall be allowed only after the L.O. has certified that defence installations and prohibited areas/places were not photographed. |
60.
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A L.O. shall inform a party of the objects which are allowed to be photographed/filmed. If he is convinced that key/defence installations are being photographed, he shall forbid the photographer from taking such photographs or making suck films. If a photographer does not comply with his advice, the matter shall be reported to police who shall proceed against such photographer under official Secrets Act, 1923. |
61.
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Still photographs, commercial films and films of academic interest taken/made in rest of Pakistan shall not be subject to these restriction except restrictions mentioned at para 54 and 58. |
62.
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Permission to photograph is subject to the condition that a party shall supply to the Government of Pakistan free of cost and freight one copy/print of film of academic interest/commercial film made and one set of photograph taken. |
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